


The Bryzzo Trap

by BryzzoSouvenirCoIntern



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Chicago Cubs, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-04-17 17:26:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 33,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14193972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BryzzoSouvenirCoIntern/pseuds/BryzzoSouvenirCoIntern
Summary: 20 years after the World Series win, Chloe Bryant and Amanda Rizzo are in the same cabin at Camp Wrigley.  What will happen when they learn about their fathers' past?  Can they reunite Bryzzo?





	1. Camp Wrigley

"We're here!" Chloe Bryant exclaimed as she and her father pulled into Camp Wrigley.  She was so excited for her first time at sleepaway camp.  It was her first time in Illinois, the state where the Chicago Cubs had played.  Her dad had played on the 2016 Chicago Cubs that won the World Series, yet Chloe had never been to Illinois, let alone to Chicago.  "I'm so excited!" Chloe continued, looking up at her father.  
"I think you'll have fun," Kris told his daughter.  
"Yeah," Chloe said as she and her father went to the signin table.  "Hi, my name is Chloe Antonia Bryant, and this is my father, Kris Bryant, the 2016 World Series Champion."  
"Chloe," Kris whispered to his daughter.  
"It's nice to meet you both," the camp director said.  "Lots of Cubs fans at Camp Wrigley."  
"I'm glad to hear it," Kris said, filling out Chloe's paperwork.  "Several of my former teammates recommended I send Chloe here."  
"Can I get to my cabin now?" Chloe asked.  
"Yeah, you're in Wintergreen Cabin," the director said.  "It's just down that path, you'll turn right."  
"Do you think you'll be okay, Chloe?" Kris asked.  "You know I have to catch my flight back home to Vegas..."  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Chloe said, giving her dad a hug.  "See you in eight weeks!"  
Kris gave his daughter a hug.  For the past 13 years, it had just been him and Chloe.  It would be weird being alone in Vegas for eight weeks, but Chloe had really wanted to go to camp, and his friends on the Cubs had recommended he send her there.  The camp was only about an hour outside of Chicago, but just being so close to Chicago reminded him of Anthony.  If he passed the actual Wrigley Field, it might be too hard.  
Chloe watched as her dad got in the car and began to drive away.  She did feel a bit sad to see him go, but reminded herself how much fun she'd have at camp as she headed for her cabin.

As Kris left the camp, another car pulled up.  Anthony Rizzo got out of the car and opened the trunk, getting out his daughter Amanda's luggage.  Amanda stepped out of the car and took a look around the setting.  "This is nice, don't you think?"  
"It is," Anthony agreed.  "It probably won't get as hot as Florida summers up here."  
Amanda let out a giggle.  "Daddy!  You spent summers all over the country for years."  
Anthony forced a smile.  "Yeah."  Of course, Amanda was referring to his time on the Chicago Cubs.  Part of him had always wanted to take Amanda to Chicago to show her the city he represented, but he couldn't.  It would bring back too many memories of Kris.  It would be too hard.  He couldn't even take Amanda to games when the Cubs played the Marlins back home.  
"Are you okay, Daddy?" Amanda asked.  
Anthony kissed his daugher's head.  "I'm fine, sweetheart.  I'm just going to miss you."  
Amanda gave her dad a hug.  "I'll be fine, don't worry."  
Anthony led Amanda to the sign in table to sign her in.  "I should probably get to my cabin now," Amanda said, giving her dad a hug.  "I love you."  
"If you change your mind and want me to pick you up rather than just flying home, I'll be on the first flight to Chicago," Anthony began.  
Amanda giggled.  "Daddy, I'll be fine."  
Anthony left before Amanda headed to her cabin.

Meanwhile, Chloe Bryant was in Wintergreen Cabin, setting up her bed.  A few other girls had arrived, and she'd been chatting with them.  Most of the girls were from Chicago, or at least one of the other surrounding midwest states.  Eventually, only two beds were untaken.  A blonde girl came in and looked at Chloe.  "How'd you get there?" she asked.  "You were just outside..."  
"What?" Chloe asked as another girl came in.  The other girl stopped in her tracks as she walked in, and Chloe gasped.  
Two pairs of blue eyes met each other, two identical noses sniffed each other, two pairs of thin lips dropped open.  If it weren't for Chloe's shoulder length hair and this girl's mid-back hair, it wold be impossible to tell the girls apart.  
"Hi, I'm Chloe Antonia Bryant," Chloe said.  "Nice to meet you."  
"Hi," the girl said.  "I'm Amanda Kristine Rizzo, if that's how you like to introduce yourself."  
Amanda went to one of the empty bunks and began unloading her things, both girls confused as to who this look-alike was.


	2. Summer Fun

"We should do something fun tonight," said a girl named Molly. The girls in Wintergreen Cabin had gone to bed for the night, but no one was particularly tired. "It can be like an introduction to those of you who haven't been here before. We all break the rules at night."  
"We shouldn't do that," Amanda said. "What if one of the counselors came to check on us and we got in trouble?"  
Chloe rolled her eyes. Seeing a girl who looked exactly like her show up had made her uneasy, but now she knew this girl wasn't anything like her. "Lighten up, Amelia."  
"It's Amanda," Amanda sighed. Her dad had hoped that she would make some friends at camp. She had trouble making friends at school because she was so shy. Already, a girl at camp didn't seem to like her.  
"They never come to our cabins," said a girl named Kelly. "As long as we're quiet, we'll be fine."  
Maybe talking or playing something quietly wouldn't be bad. Amanda reached into her suitcase. "Well, would you guys like some candy?"  
"You worry about following rules, yet you brought food!" said Molly. "Yes, I'd like some! My mom never lets me bring candy! I'm impressed your mom let you."  
Amanda paused. She didn't know who her birth mother was. All she knew was that she was adopted and that her dad had been married to another man when she was born. But the girls began to dig into the candy, interrupting Amanda's thoughts.  
"So, I think we should play truth or dare," Chloe declared. "Who wants to go first?"  
"I'll go!" blurted out a girl named Rebecca.  
The girls moved through the cabin until the two look alikes were the only ones who hadn't gone. Progressively, the truth questions got more risqué and the dares got riskier as well. "So, Amanda, truth or dare?" Chloe asked.  
Amanda considered it for a moment. "Truth."  
Chloe smirked. Even though Amanda had talked about rules earlier, she'd been the only one to break the no food rule. "Okay, Amanda, what's the furthest you've ever gotten with a boy?"  
Amanda thought back to the eighth grade trip when she'd played this game with her classmates. "I made out with a boy when we played seven minutes in heaven on the DC trip with my school." She considered herself lucky to this day that none of the teachers had found out that a group of girls had gone in a boys' room. She probably would have been suspended. But these girls did seem to be into breaking rules. "The girls I was rooming with and I snuck out of our room and into the boys' room."  
The girls looked impressed. Chloe, on the other hand, tried to hold in her shock. How had this girl managed to make out with a boy before she could? She couldn't even get the guys she liked at school to look at her. "You can do me now."  
"Okay, Chloe, truth or dare?" Amanda asked.  
"Dare," Chloe said.  
"I dare you to..." Amanda tried to think of something. "I dare you to jump into the lake."  
The girls giggled. Chloe tried to hold in her disgust. That lake looked disgusting. "But we can't even shower until tomorrow after we swim!"  
"Rules are rules," said a girl named Vanessa. "We all did the dares. I had to run to the nearest boys' cabin and bang on the door."  
Chloe found herself liking Amanda even less. "Okay, I'll go do it."  
Wintergreen Cabin was right by the lake, so the girls didn't have a long walk. The rest of the girls stood outside the cabin as Chloe walked to the lake. She didn't want to jump in. She was probably going to get dirty and smelly.  
Chloe looked behind herself. The girls were still watching. Who did Amanda Kristine Rizzo think she was? (And why was her middle name so close to Chloe's dad's name?)  
Chloe quickly jumped in the lake. She was sure there was stuff on her. She could swear that she felt fish swimming around. She then pulled herself up by the dock and went back to the cabin, where the girls were waiting. Most of them were giggling, but Chloe wasn't laughing. Amanda did look a bit guilty.  
"You're the bravest of us all," said a girl named Mia.  
"We'll see," Chloe said as the girls went back inside. "Amanda, I think you should go next, since you went last other than me in the first round. Truth or dare?"  
The truth hadn't been too bad. "Dare."  
Chloe smirked. "I dare you to go stand outside for a minute, naked."  
Naked? Now Amanda really regretted daring Chloe to jump in the lake. "But what if one of the boys saw me?"  
"It's only a minute," said Vanessa. "Besides, the boys are probably in bed still."  
"But doesn't everyone break the rules at night?" Amanda asked. She really didn't like the idea of going outside naked.  
"It's only a minute," said a girl named Paige. "Come on, Amanda. If you do it, you won't have to do any more dares."  
Amanda sighed and began pulling off her clothes. The cool Illinois evening made her chilly, but she was even more worried about what would happen if one of the boys - or worse, one of the counselors - walked by. She stood in silence, in the dark, listening to crickets, as the minute crawled by.  
Finally, Amanda went back inside. If this was these girls' idea of fun, this might be a long summer.

When Chloe woke up the next morning, she didn't seem too dirty, but she was sure her hair still smelled bad. Luckily, her cabin was scheduled to swim in the morning today, so she'd get to shower pretty early. She couldn't help but still be mad at the girl who'd dared her to jump in the lake. But she knew if she reported Amanda, she'd be outing herself and all the other girls in their cabin as well.  
Chloe was slightly able to take her mind off Amanda when the group got to the pool. One of the counselors had started a game of the girls racing each other, and so far, Chloe had won all the races. Eventually, none of the other girls were willing to swim against her. "So far, the fastest swimmer here at Camp Wrigley is Miss Chloe Bryant from Las Vegas, Nevada! Any other challengers?" the counselor called out.  
"I'll give it a try," Amanda said, coming forward.  
Her again. Chloe groaned as Amanda stood next to her in the pool. "GO!" the counselor declared.  
Chloe had begun to get tired from all the racing, but she was determined to keep her spot as the fastest swimmer at camp. However, when she finished, she saw that Amanda was already standing there. "I think we have ourselves a new champ, from Parkland, Florida, Miss Amanda Rizzo!" the counselor declared.  
Chloe glared at Amanda. Was this girl going to be a pain in her neck all summer?

Amanda had ended up enjoying camp more than she thought so far. The cabin had gone to the camp shop after swimming this morning, and after lunch the cabin was going to go rock climbing. Amanda felt a bit nervous when she saw the rocks. It wasn't a rock wall like the one in the rock gym at her school. It was real rocks. They looked uneven and slippery. But the other girls seemed to be enjoying the rocks.  
"Do you not want to climb the wall, Amanda?" the counselor who had taken the girls to the wall asked once all the other girls had gone.  
"My leg hurts," Amanda said, trying to think of an excuse.  
"Okay," the counselor said. "Who wants to go again?"  
"You're the fastest swimmer and the bravest of us all, but you don't want to climb the wall?" Chloe whispered to Amanda. She recognized the look on Amanda's face. One advantage to having the same face was that they had the same expressions. That was the face Chloe made when she didn't want to do something.  
Amanda turned to Chloe. She wasn't sure what she did to make this girl dislike her. "No. My leg hurts." She paused. "I think I twisted it on the way up here." Did Chloe know that she didn't want to climb the wall? It was only the second day at camp. She couldn't let the girls think she was a coward.  
"Whatever you say," Chloe said, turning away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for the kudos. Didn't expect to get five kudos for my first Cubs fic. And Bryzzo themselves will be showing up soon, maybe in a chapter or two :)


	3. Twins

A few weeks before camp, Chloe had been home alone since Kris had to work late. She’d finished her homework and started to head downstairs when she peered into her dad’s room and noticed he’d left his computer screen open. Hoping he wouldn’t catch her, Chloe crept in to see what was there. There was a file with her birth year on his desktop.  
Maybe there were pictures of her other dad in here. A few times, her father had admitted to her that when she was born, he’d been married to another man, but every time Chloe asked about him, he tried to change the subject.  
Chloe opened the file and saw a video file at the top. She opened the file. Her other dad was on the screen, along with her and another baby. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Maybe now she’d know what her other dad’s voice sounded like. “Come on, come to Daddy,” he said with love in his voice. “Good job! Now, you too, Amanda.”  
Amanda? Who was Amanda? Why hadn’t Chloe ever met her? Clearly, there was a connection of some sort. Chloe had been so shocked to see her other dad, she hadn’t given much thought to the fact that there was another baby girl in the video.  
“Chloe, what are you doing?”  
Chloe turned. Her dad was home. There was no use in trying to cover things up. “Who’s Amanda?”  
Kris got a look of panic. “She’s your cousin. She’s on your other dad’s side of the family.” He quickly shut down his computer.  
That was when it occurred to Chloe: it wasn’t just her other dad. She had grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on her other dad’s side of the family. She would likely never know them.

Right now, the video was coming back to Chloe’s mind. Could it be that this girl who looked so much like her at camp was her cousin Amanda? And if this girl was her cousin, could she help her meet her other father? Or at least tell her about him?  
The problem was, the girls hadn’t exactly gotten along. They’d both gone a little too far with the pranks last night and she’d been a bit mean to Amanda at the pool and the rock wall. She looked at Amanda, who was reading on her bunk. They looked so much alike, only Amanda’s hair was longer. Chloe decided to take the plunge and go over. “This is going to sound really weird, but I think you might be my cousin.”  
Amanda gave Chloe a confused look. “What?”  
Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to be so upfront. “I know it sounds weird, but a few weeks ago, I was watching an old family video of me crawling with another baby girl, and my dad told me that was my cousin Amanda, who was on my other dad’s side of the family.”  
Amanda’s eyes got even bigger. “Other dad?”  
“Yeah, my dad was married to another man when I was little, but they split up,” Chloe continued. “I don’t know why or anything about my other dad, but we look so much alike. If you are my cousin, maybe I can show you my other dad’s picture...”  
“This is so weird,” Amanda interrupted. “My dad told me basically the same thing. He was married to another man when I was a baby, but they split up. It’s as if my other dad evaporated into thin air.” She began thinking about what Chloe had told her. It was possible that they were related, but... now. It wasn’t possible. There was such a thing as too much coincidence.  
The girls sat there quietly, both quietly putting the pieces together in their heads. “You said your name is Chloe Antonia Bryant, right?” Amanda asked, remembering how Chloe had introduced herself.  
“Yeah,” Chloe said.  
“My dad’s name is Anthony,” Amanda said, noticing the look on Chloe’s face. “He was on the Chicago Cubs that won the World Series 20 years ago... has anyone in your family ever said anything about that team?”  
“My dad was on the 2016 Chicago Cubs,” Chloe gasped. It was definitely possible that her dad and Amanda’s dad knew each other. “So was my other dad. The one picture I have of him is from the night they won the World Series, of the two of them.”   
“What’s your dad’s name?” Amanda asked. She knew both her dads were on the Cubs that year. And she also had a picture from that night.  
“Kris, with a K. Kris Bryant,” Chloe said, avoiding eye contact. She then looked at Amanda. “You’re Amanda Kristine Rizzo, aren’t you?” Her dad had told her she was adopted, so it didn’t make sense for a girl who looked like her to be her cousin, unless her other father was the biological father.   
Amanda nodded. “Yeah, I am. With a K.”  
The girls sat next to each other in silence. “Both our dads were married to other men, and we look alike, and they were both on the Chicago Cubs and won the World Series...” Amanda continued. “I don’t think we’re cousins. I think we might be sisters.”  
The idea seemed so bizarre, Chloe hadn’t wanted to be the one to say it. But it made sense. “When’s your birthday?”  
“July 28,” Amanda said softly. “So I’ll be celebrating that here.” She could tell by the look on Chloe’s face that she wasn’t the only one. “You’ll be 14 then too, won’t you?”  
Chloe nodded. “It is.” Now maybe she should just get to it and see if the question could be answered. “I brought the picture of my dads with me...”  
“I brought mine, too,” Amanda said. “How about we show them to each other?”  
“Okay,” Chloe agreed. Both girls reached into their bags and handed each other the photos. It turned out the girls had the same photo - of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo grinning and wearing their World Series champions shirts. Chloe looked up at Amanda. “That’s my dad.”  
“That’s my dad,” Amanda whispered.  
“So we’re sisters,” Chloe gasped.  
“Sisters?” Amanda gasped, dropping the photo. “Chloe, we’re twins!”  
The girls started giggling as they embraced each other and their cabinmates turned to them. “What’s going on?” Kelly asked.  
“We just discovered we’re twins!” Chloe declared, tightening her hug on Amanda.  
“Twins?” Molly asked. “That explains why you look just like each other!”  
“I can’t believe our dads kept us from each other,” Chloe gasped. She’d been annoyed by Amanda earlier, but now she couldn’t be. This was her sister. She’d had a sister all this time and never known it.  
“Whatever happened, it must have been pretty bad,” Amanda said. “For them to keep us from each other.”  
“Yeah, they shouldn’t have done that,” Kelly agreed.  
“What’s he like?” Chloe asked Amanda. Every time she asked Kris about Anthony, he found a way to go around it, and he never brought him up. This was her chance.  
“He’s great,” Amanda said. “He’s like my best friend. We do everything together. And he runs a charity that helps children with cancer, since he’s a cancer survivor. What about our other dad? What’s he like?”  
“He’s a lot of fun,” Chloe giggled. “He’s a teacher at his old high school. The one I’ll be going to this fall. He also coaches the baseball team there.”  
“My dad was going to have me fly back to Florida after camp, but maybe I should have him come here, so you can meet him,” Amanda began. “And you can write to Kris, telling him to come here after camp to get you, so I can meet him.”  
“Yeah, but we shouldn’t tell them,” Chloe agreed. “They didn’t tell us about each other, so we shouldn’t tell them we met. Let them just see us together when they show up to get us.”  
Another idea came to Amanda’s mind. “Or we could just pull a prank on them.”  
“What?” Chloe asked.  
“You could go back to Florida as me after camp, and I could go back to Vegas as you,” Amanda thought. It was a crazy idea, but she wanted to meet Kris.  
“You guys should do that!” Molly said.  
“Yeah, whatever happened, it must have been bad,” Kelly added. “But you deserve to meet your dads.”  
“Let’s do it,” Chloe said. “We’ll teach each other to be each other.”  
The girls giggled as they gave each other another hug.


	4. Then and Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't forgotten this fic, but I'm a college student and the end of the semester got in the way haha. There's some angst here, but I really like how it turned out. Sorry for the wait!

_YOU ARE INVITED_

_20 YEAR WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS REUNION_

_Can you believe it’s been 20 years since the World Series drought was finally broken?  We want to honor that anniversary!  Join us on August 25 as the 2036 Cubs take on the Cardinals at Wrigley.  We plan to honor players in a pregame ceremony and present you with a momento.  Hope to see you there!_

Kris stared at the invitation that had come in the mail.  He wanted to be there, but he knew he couldn’t.  He was still in touch with his teammates, except one.  He’d skipped the ten year reunion, only to learn that Anthony had skipped it as well.  Sometimes, he wished he could pick up the phone and call Anthony.  Ask him how he was.  How Amanda was.  Tell him all about the wonderful young woman Chloe had become.  But he couldn’t.  He hadn’t seen or spoken to Anthony or even been in Chicago since that horrible night.  And he didn’t think he could go back without being reminded of that night.

* * *

 

_-2023-_

_They say that every player goes through a bit of retirement depression.  Kris and Anthony had gone to Vegas and gotten married after the last game of the 2021 season.  A few months later, they found out they’d been approved for adoption.  Everything was happening so fast.  There was enough money in the savings accounts to hold them over for now, but eventually, they’d need to start new careers._

_With the loss of identity and both of them learning still how to be parents, things were less than ideal.  Lately, they lost their tempers at each other easily, and it felt like neither one could do anything without annoying the other.  Their parents had suggested they go to relationship counseling, but they both knew this was just a phase.  They’d get over it, right?_

_Anthony got home from work late one night, only to find the apartment a mess.  There were dishes on the table, the girls’ toys were all over the floor, the TV was on, laundry was on one of the couches and Kris was asleep on the other.  Feeling annoyed that he’d come home to this mess, he nudged his husband.  “Kris!”_

_Kris woke up.  “What did I do?”_

_Anthony flung his arms around.  “Look at our apartment!”_

_“Do you expect me to clean it up?” Kris groaned._

_Anthony tried to hold in his annoyance.  “Well, I was at work all day, and it didn’t look like this when I left for work!”_

_“Well, in case you’ve forgotten, our daughters aren’t even one yet!” Kris shot back.  “I was a bit preoccupied today, and when they were taking naps, I had to take one, too!”_

_“Well, I’ve been working a job I hate to provide for our family!” Anthony snapped.  “The least you could have done is clean the apartment so I don’t have to do more work!”_

_Kris felt himself getting even more angry.  “Oh, really?  You’ve got some nerve!  I’m sure that I could find a job, too, but I’m not so sure if you could handle things like I handle them here!”_

_“I could!” Anthony shot back.  “I could do any of these things myself!”_

_Anthony’s choice of words felt like a punch in the gut.  “You really think you could do this all yourself?  Because guess what, I can too, and I’m tired of fighting with you all the time!” Kris shot back._

_“Well, I’m sick of fighting too!” Anthony snarled._

_The girls’ cries filled the apartment.  “Great,” Kris mumbled.  “You woke them up!”_

_“Me?” Anthony asked.  “Of course, everything’s my fault.”_

_Kris scoffed.  “That’s not how you see it.  It’s your fault I’m unhappy, though!”_

_“Well, it’s yours that I’m unhappy,” Anthony snapped.  “This isn’t going how I thought it should have.”_

_Kris had heard enough.  He went to their room and grabbed a suitcase, beginning to throw some clothes in it.  Anthony followed his husband.  “What are you doing?”_

_“I’m leaving, I’m sick of this,” Kris said._

_“That’s so childish,” Anthony groaned.  “Go ahead.  I know you’ll come back in a few days.”_

_“Maybe I won’t!” Kris snapped.  “I’m tired of this!”  He zipped up the suitcase and left the apartment._

_“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Anthony said coldly.  As soon as Kris left the apartment, he regretted his words and went running after his husband.  But it was too late.  Kris had gotten into the cab, and Anthony knew he had two crying daughters in his apartment._

_He went back to the apartment and into the girls’ room, cradling them as his tears fell on them.  “Don’t cry, Daddy’s here, and Dad will be soon,” he told himself as much as the girls._

_Finally, the girls drifted off to sleep, but Anthony couldn’t.  All he could think about was how Kris had left with a packed suitcase.  “Please come home,” Anthony mumbled.  “I need you.  The girls need you.”_

* * *

 

Little did Kris know, on the other side of the country, Anthony was having flashbacks to the same night.  He’d gotten the same invitation, and any time he heard about Chicago or the Cubs, he thought of Kris.  He hated himself for not begging Kris to come back that night.  Every time he talked to one of his former teammates, he was tempted to ask how Kris and Chloe were doing.  They’d been the only Cubs who hadn’t gone to the 2026 reunion, but he knew being at Wrigley would absolutely break him and make him think of all those regrets and a love lost.  It had been hard enough being in Illinois to take Amanda to camp.  He couldn’t help but wonder what Chloe was doing with her summer, if she was excited to be starting high school.  Maybe he should go to the reunion.  He owed it to Amanda to see this part of his life and for her to get some of her questions about her other father answered.  He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d found videos of their time on the Cubs and seen her other father.  Maybe being back in Chicago would give him some closure.  Or maybe it would just be a big mistake.

* * *

The summer had flown by, and it was now as if Chloe and Amanda had spent their whole lives together.  They’d spent all summer teaching each other about their lives, their families, their cities, their interests, the people they knew.  They’d gotten the other girls in the cabin in on the plan, all of whom had thought it was a great idea.  Tomorrow, the girls would be going to each other’s cities, each to meet the father who had only been a picture for their lives.  They sat in the cabin, quizzing each other on their families and friends.

“Okay,” Chloe said, holding up the photo.  “Who’s this?”

“Those are our grandparents, and Uncle Nick,” Amanda said with a grin.  She held up a photo.  “Now who are these people?”

“That’s Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Johnny and Aunt Sarah and our cousin Vincent!” Chloe declared.  She held up a diagram now.  “Tell me which room is which in the house.”

“That’s Dad’s room, and that’s yours, those two are guest rooms, that’s dad’s office, the family room, the living room, the dining room and the kitchen!” Amanda said.  She held up the diagram of her house.  “Your turn.”

“So, those are the guest rooms, your room, Daddy’s room, the rec room, the living room, the dining room and the kitchen!” Chloe giggled.  “I think we have this down.”

“And you’re welcome for us helping quiz you guys,” Molly added.

“I think we’ll be able to pull this off,” Chloe said, looking at her sister before a flaw in the plan occurred to her.  “Amanda, what are we going to do about our hair?”

Amanda’s pride at being able to name everyone her sister knew and learning about Chloe’s life in Vegas changed to fear.  She probably hadn’t cut her hair in two or three years and had grown proud of it.  Chloe’s was to her shoulders.  No way could it grow this much in eight weeks.  But if it meant she could meet her other dad and potentially have the whole family together again, she managed to say it: “Do any of you have any scissors?”

About half an hour later, Amanda tried to see her reflection in the cabin window, since there were no mirrors.  She missed the feeling of her hair on her back, but she knew the shoulder length hair looked good on Chloe, and could see herself getting used to it as well.  But then another difference came to her.  “Chloe, you don’t have your ears pierced, do you?”

Chloe realized Amanda was right.  Her dad wanted her to wait until she was sixteen.  Still, there was no way Amanda could go to camp with pierced ears and come home without.  “You’ll have to do it for me.”

“I haven’t been trained!” Amanda protested.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” said Vanessa.  “I have a needle.”

“And I froze my bottle, it’s still cold,” Molly added.

Chloe gulped.  There would probably be blood.  She didn’t know how her dad would react.  At the same time, she knew this had to be done.  “All right.  Let’s do it.”

Chloe lay on the bed, grabbing Rebecca and Kelly’s hands while Paige held the ice under her ear.  Amanda worked up all the courage she could to put the needle through her sister’s ear, resisting the urge to scream.  Chloe also resisted the urge to scream as she gripped her friends’ hands tighter.  When both ears were done, the girls looked at each other.  Now, there were no differences.

“We’re really doing this,” Chloe said.

“Yeah, we are,” Amanda said.

“And we want to know how it goes,” Mia said.

“We’ll tell you guys, trust me,” Chloe said.

* * *

The next day, the buses were arriving to take the various campers to the airport.  When Amanda’s bus was called, Amanda handed her sister the plane ticket.  “That’s you.”  She already missed her sister.

“We’re actually doing this!” Chloe giggled.  She handed Amanda her plane ticket.  “And here’s yours.  Text me when you get there and give Dad a hug for me.”

“Give Daddy one for me,” Amanda said.  She had grown to miss her father this summer, but hopefully, soon, she and her sister and both their dads could truly be a family.

“Last call for Bus A!” the counselor called on the megaphone.  The girls shared a final hug as Chloe took off for the bus and Amanda watched her sister board it.

“Good luck,” she whispered into the air.  “Good luck!”


	5. Anthony

The plane touched down in Florida as Chloe looked out the window. The palm trees were beautiful. She’d always wanted to come here. Now it made sense why she’d never been. When the pilot announced they were landing, she began to get nervous. Would Anthony realize she wasn’t Amanda? If he did, would he be mad at her?  
She scolded herself for being nervous. She was finally going to meet the other father who’d been a mystery to her for all these years.  
Chloe got off the plane and walked into the airport, surveying the crowd. Then she heard that voice from the old video that she would recognize anywhere. “Amanda!”  
Chloe turned to face Anthony. “Daddy!” She dropped her suitcase and jumped into his arms. “I missed you.”  
“I missed you too,” Anthony said, putting down his daughter and looking at her. “You’ve had your hair cut.”  
“Yeah,” Chloe said, remembering how nervous Amanda was when the girls in the cabin each took turns cutting a section. “Is that okay with you?”  
“Yeah, you look beautiful, you always do,” Anthony said. “Was camp fun?”  
“Yeah, I loved it!” Chloe giggled. “Everyone there was so nice. I think the best parts were the campfires and the biking and the horseback riding and the pool, but we got to climb real rocks and walk through the creek, and the food was actually good! The girls in my cabin were all awesome and we all felt like sisters.” Chloe stopped herself. Amanda didn’t talk this much. And she’d almost blown her cover. Yes, all the girls in their cabin felt like sisters, but the best part of the summer was meeting her actual sister.  
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Anthony said. “Shall we get home?”  
The home she’d never been to. “Yeah, let’s get home.”  
On the drive home from the airport, Chloe stared out the window, taking in just how beautiful Miami was. Palm trees were everywhere and there was so much water. She wished she could just put on a swimsuit and hop in the water. As hot as it had been in Illinois, it was even hotter down here. Even the houses were so beautiful, as was the skyline.  
“Eight weeks at camp and you’re acting like a northerner who’s here for the first time,” Anthony pointed out.  
“Camp makes you appreciate home,” Chloe giggled.  
Finally, the car pulled into the driveway and Chloe took in the sight of the house where her other father and her twin lived. “It’s so nice to be home,” she breathed.  
“It’s so nice to have you home,” Anthony said, leading Chloe into the house. When they got inside, Chloe couldn’t help but notice that Anthony had the same shade of blue furniture that Kris had. Cubs blue.  
“Nice and cool in here,” Chloe giggled.  
“You know how hot it gets here in the summers,” Anthony said. “And you had no air conditioning for eight weeks. It got lonely here without you, so I was almost hoping you didn’t have any fun.”  
Chloe smirked. “I’m going back next year for sure.” Hopefully next year, their fathers would be able to keep each other company while she and Amanda were at camp. She looked around the living room at all the photos. Amanda had shown her the ones she’d brought to camp, but she felt a stronger connection already seeing all these photos. At the same time, however, she felt a sense of sadness that Anthony didn’t have photos like this of her.  
“Are you okay?” Anthony asked.  
“Yeah, it was just a long flight,” Chloe said. “Kind of tired.”  
“You’ve never liked flying,” Anthony sighed. “I did offer to come pick you up at camp so you wouldn’t have to fly home alone.”  
“Daddy!” Chloe pouted.  
“Sorry, you’re growing up,” Anthony said. “I can’t believe high school’s just around the corner.”  
“How were things while I was gone?” Chloe asked, wondering if it was too soon to get Anthony to talk about Kris. “How’s the foundation?”  
“It’s great,” Anthony said. “Seeing the kids so happy when they’re going through such hard times is great.” His phone began vibrating and he looked at it. “Speaking of which, it’s David, probably calling about tonight’s event. The Cubs are playing the Marlins, and a young fan wanted to go to the game and meet all the Cubs.”  
The Cubs were in town? That would be the perfect opportunity. Maybe Chloe could talk Anthony into taking her to a game. Kris would sometimes take her to games if the city they went to had a baseball team, but she’d never seen the Cubs. Looking around the room, she listened to her father’s end of the conversation. “How are things going? Are you sure? You know I always love meeting fans, and I’d do it under any other circumstances, but Amanda and I got home just under an hour ago, and you know I haven’t seen her all summer...” He was wanted at the game? Chloe tried to hold in her excitement. She might finally get to see the team her fathers had met on.  
“Amanda, would you mind going to the game? The kid really wants to meet me,” Anthony said.  
Chloe tried not to act too excited. “I’d love to. Let me go change into some of my Cubs stuff.” She went upstairs, knowing she might as well take in the sight of her sister’s bedroom while her dad was on the phone so he wouldn’t get suspicious. Amanda’s room had a pastel color scheme rather than the bright colors that Chloe’s room back in Vegas had. Chloe had posters of her favorite bands, singers and actors on the walls, while Amanda’s walls had posters of landmarks and animals. There were some photos of family and friends, and Chloe was proud of herself that she could name all these people. There was one similarity between the two bedrooms on opposite sides of the country: the Cubs flag.  
Chloe found a Cubs jersey to put on for the game and went back downstairs. She and Anthony got in the car to drive to Marlins Park. When they pulled up in front of the stadium, Chloe felt herself getting excited. The stadium looked so cool.  
“You’ve seen this stadium before,” Anthony pointed out.  
“Yeah, but I’m finally seeing the Cubs!” Chloe countered. “You won the World Series with the Cubs and I’ve never seen them! I’m so excited!”  
“Yeah, this’ll be nice for you,” Anthony said, looking slightly uncomfortable. Would seeing the Cubs remind him of Kris? Did he still love Kris? Chloe remembered how uncomfortable Kris looked when she found the video, but that could have been because he still loved Anthony, because Chloe had been snooping, because Amanda was in the video, or all three. “Let’s go on in, shall we?” Anthony asked.  
“Yeah,” Chloe said. As they walked into the air conditioned ballpark, Chloe immediately noticed all the fans in Cubs gear. She would have wanted to look around the stadium, but Amanda had been here before and she didn’t want Anthony to get suspicious. He led her into the dugout, where the Cubs themselves were. Chloe noticed how excited the current Cubs were to see a World Series champion, many of them calling out to him. She also noticed that her father knew all their names and greeted each of them, even giving them each a compliment on a recent play. “How on Earth could my dad let him go?” she asked herself.  
“I’m so glad you’re here,” a voice said. Chloe turned and saw her dads’ old teammate, David Ross, who was now the Cubs manager.  
“You know I want to give the kids the best experience possible at these things,” Anthony said. “Nice to see you.”  
“You too,” David said. “Hi Amanda.”  
Chloe had met David before with Kris, and she was relieved he’d called her Amanda without a second thought. “Hi David. Good to see you.”  
“Your dad told me you went to Camp Wrigley,” David said. “You know all three of my kids went there, did you have fun?”  
“Yeah, I loved it!” Chloe said.  
“There he is,” David pointed out as the little boy and his family made their way over. The boy immediately recognized Anthony and ran over to hug him.  
“You’re Anthony Rizzo!” the boy shouted.  
“Yes I am,” Anthony said. “You must be Patrick.”  
“Yeah!” the little boy said.  
“We’re so glad you could come,” Patrick’s dad said. “He loves the current Cubs and watches all their games, but he loves watching videos of the 2016 World Series. I’m surprised that DVD still works.”  
“He’s not the only one,” said the Cubs’ current first baseman. “He’s an inspiration to everyone on this team.”  
Chloe looked around the stadium as her dad talked with Patrick and with the current Cubs. “So, Chloe, would you like to watch the game in the dugout with the team, or would you like me to see if I can get you and your dad tickets somewhere in the stadium?” David asked.  
Chloe was about to respond, but then she felt herself getting nervous. Did David somehow know? He, after all, knew both Chloe and Amanda, and Chloe had been the one with this haircut first. “What did you just call me?”  
“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking of... someone who looks kind of like you who I saw recently,” David stumbled through his sentence. “So, dugout or regular stadium?”  
Chloe had never seen a game in a dugout before, but she didn’t know if Amanda had, so she tried not to seem too excited. “I’d like to stay in the dugout.”  
“That works,” David said.  
Chloe was sure she was the most excited one to be seeing the Cubs in the stadium. Years ago, her dads had played in similar uniforms. She watched between breaks as Anthony talked with both the current Cubs and with Patrick and his family, introducing her to everyone as his daughter Amanda.  
The Cubs beat the Marlins 5-1 and it was time to get home. On the way home, Chloe figured maybe now would be a good time to try to talk. “How come you’ve never taken me to a Cubs game before when they’ve been in town? It was so cool to see them!”  
“Well, you know I met your other father on the Cubs...” Anthony began.  
Anthony himself was bringing up Kris. This might be easier for Chloe than she thought it would be. “So did you worry it would remind you of him?” Chloe asked. “You seemed to be enjoying the game. And the players were acting like fans when they saw you! Come on, Daddy, I’m almost in high school. Why is he never mentioned? Can you tell me about him?”  
Anthony paused. “Well, you know I met him on the Cubs. He was the third baseman. The last game of the 2016 World Series, it had to go into extra innings, and when a player hit the ball, he caught it and then tossed it to me for the final out!”  
“Seriously?” Chloe asked. “So the two of you basically won the World Series for the Cubs! That’s so cool! So, did you get together after that game?”  
“I should have known all these questions would come eventually,” Anthony admitted. “We were sort of together throughout that season and we officially got together after that game. But since back in those days, lots of people in America didn’t approve of men dating other men, we kept it quiet. We got married after we both retired after the 2021 season and then we got you a little while later.”  
Chloe asked herself if she should try to get Anthony to admit that there were twins. How else was he supposed to explain why she never saw her other father? Maybe that would be too much too soon though. “It sounds like you knew each other a while, why did you split up?”  
“I think we were just in over our heads,” Anthony admitted, though he sounded like he was trying to come up with something to say. “We’d just retired, we got married on the spur of the moment, and then we got you so soon after we got married...”  
Chloe asked herself what to say to that. It had always been hard to get Kris to talk about Anthony. Amanda had told her she had similar problems. “Amanda, even if so much was happening, I’m so glad we got you,” Anthony interrupted. “I hope you know that. And I know that he still loves you too, wherever he may be. He’d be so proud of the woman you’ve become, just like I am.”  
Chloe felt her eyes getting misty. Was Anthony also talking about how he felt about her, that he’d been loving her from afar for all these years? “Thanks Daddy.”


	6. Kris

Amanda’s heartbeat increased with a mixture of nerves and excitement as the plane touched down in Vegas. She couldn’t be a wreck when she saw her father. She was supposed to have lived with him her entire life. She took her suitcase and got off the plane, suddenly noticing Kris Bryant talking with another man at the airport. Unable to hold it in, she ran towards him. “Dad!” she murmured, trying to hold back her tears.  
“Chloe!” Kris exclaimed, giving his daughter a big hug.  
Amanda tightened the grip, already wondering how she hadn’t had this before. When she pulled apart, she looked up at him. “It’s really you.”  
“And it’s really you,” Kris laughed, looking at his daughter.  
“I missed you,” Amanda said, knowing that wasn’t false.  
“I missed you, too,” Kris said, examining Amanda. “You got your ears pierced?”  
“Yeah,” Amanda admitted. “When we went to the carnival one day, there was an ear piercing booth and one of the girls in my cabin had hers done...” Was she starting off on a bad foot? She hoped not.  
“Hey, she’s about to start high school,” the man Kris had been talking to said. Amanda looked at this man. She originally thought this was just someone who happened to be at the airport, but clearly Kris knew him. He had brown eyes, messy brown hair, a beard and was wearing a red hat with a curly W. Amanda tried to quiz herself. Was this someone she should know? She didn’t remember him from any of Chloe’s pictures.  
“Chloe, this is my friend Bryce,” Kris suddenly said, breaking Amanda out of her thoughts.  
“I hope you don’t mind that I came,” Bryce added. “Your dad’s told me all about you and I finally wanted to meet you.”  
A weird feeling came over Amanda. She wasn’t sure if she liked this guy and she wanted time alone with the dad she hadn’t known. She was sure that in Florida, Chloe was spending time alone with Anthony. She tried to think of what to say or do. “I hope he’s told you good things,” Amanda finally managed, trying to think of something Chloe would say.  
“Of course I have!” Kris said. “And I’m excited to hear all about camp.”  
“I loved it!” Amanda giggled. “The other girls there were all really nice and we did lots of fun activities. I can show you my photos when we get home.”  
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Kris said. “How about we get home? Knowing you, you’re probably getting hungry.”  
“Yeah, I am, actually,” Amanda admitted. She walked out of the airport with Kris and Bryce, still not entirely comfortable that this other man was here for her first moments with her other father. No, maybe she was being too hard on him. As far as Kris knew, he was seeing Chloe again, who he’d been with his whole life. And it was fine for him to want to spend time with his friends.  
Bryce was just a friend - right?  
On the drive home from the airport, Amanda stared out the window, taking in the sights of Vegas. Lots of the buildings here were so cool, especially the Eiffel Tower replica. She loved how so many of them were lighting up.  
“You’re being quiet,” Kris said.  
“It was a long flight,” Amanda said. “Just kind of tired.” She hated flying. She’d always hated flying. She’d told Anthony she wanted to take the flight home alone so she could prove to herself she could do it. (Now she realized that had been for the better.) But Chloe didn’t hate flying, so she couldn’t use that as an excuse. “And camp kept us busy. We were doing something like, every minute, except for rest hour and of course, sleeping. But I’m excited to get home and sleep in a real bed and eat real food.”  
“Now you’re sounding like your old self,” Kris laughed. “Anything you’d like for dinner? I was thinking of making kabobs on the grill by the pool.”  
Amanda nodded enthusiastically. “Yummy.”  
The car pulled up in front of the Bryant house, and Amanda took in the sight. Chloe had shown her pictures, but the pictures didn’t do it justice. “I’m home,” she managed to say, leaning against Kris.  
“You’re home,” Kris said. He turned to Bryce. “I told you she’d be glad to be back.”  
Amanda had almost forgotten Bryce was here still. “So, are you staying for dinner?” she asked, hoping it didn’t come off as an invitation. Eight weeks was a long time, wouldn’t Bryce give Kris time alone with his daughter?  
“I was planning on it,” Bryce smirked. “Your father makes good food.”  
Amanda tried to hold in her disappointment. “Okay.” She followed Kris into the house, surprised and not surprised at the same time to see that the living room furniture was the same color as the furniture in her living room back in Florida. This was also the color that the Cubs wore. If Kris was willing to have the Cubs color in his living room, maybe he hadn’t completely forgotten Anthony.  
Kris put his arm around Amanda. “Do you want to shower and then we can have dinner?”  
“Yeah,” Amanda said, bringing the bag up to Chloe’s room, immediately noticing the contrast with her own room back in Florida. She took a quick shower and went downstairs and out back, where Kris had started cooking dinner on the grill and Bryce was sitting on one of the patio chairs.  
“So, how’s our little pool compare to the camp one?” Kris asked. “I saw the pictures, it looked like a fun one.”  
“It’s nice to be back in our little pool,” Amanda said, noticing that the pool was similarly shaped to the one at her house back home.  
“I’m guessing you want a lamb kabob and a shrimp kabob and a chicken kabob?” Kris asked.  
“Of course,” Amanda said, relieved she and Chloe had similar taste buds.  
“So she got your appetite?” Bryce asked.  
“She did,” Kris said as his phone began ringing. “I’ll be right back.” He headed for the kitchen, leaving Amanda and Bryce on the patio.  
Amanda noticed Bryce was carefully examining her and she wasn’t sure if she liked the looks she was getting. “You know, your father wouldn’t stop talking about you the whole time you were gone,” Bryce said, not looking too happy about it. “You must be really close.”  
Amanda was caught off guard. Kris had been hanging out with Bryce a lot this summer? “Yeah, we really are. After all, it’s been just the two of us since I was little.”  
“I was expecting a little girl, but you’re so grown up,” Bryce commented.  
Amanda shrugged. “I am about to start high school.” Maybe she could ask questions if Chloe didn’t know Bryce either. “So, how do you know my dad?”  
“I’ve known him since we were playing baseball with and against each other as kids here in Vegas,” Bryce said. “Then we both made the major leagues, I was on Washington, he was on the Cubs.” Amanda noticed the look of disgust on Bryce’s face when he mentioned the Cubs.  
Should Amanda mention that her other father had been on the Cubs, too? Or would Kris get mad at her if she made Bryce uncomfortable? She now knew that the plan was about to get more difficult. Not only would they need to find a way to get Kris and Anthony to see each other again, they’d need to get Bryce out of the picture.  
Kris came back out soon after to finish dinner. After dinner, Bryce finally left, finally leaving Amanda with Kris.  
“I’ve been without you for eight weeks, I finally get time alone with you,” Amanda said, not sure if she wanted to tell Kris that she didn’t like Bryce.  
“I know, I wanted it to just be us this evening too,” Kris admitted. “But I was hanging out with Bryce yesterday, and he insisted on meeting you today.”  
Another strike against Bryce. This was something Amanda and Chloe hadn’t prepared for. “I missed you, Dad.”  
Kris gave Amanda a hug. “Well, I missed you too, Chloe.”  
Amanda looked around the living room, noticing a ball in a square glass case sitting on the coffee table. She couldn’t help but wonder what that ball was. When she took a closer look at it, she saw that it had the 2016 World Series logo on it. Had Chloe seen this ball before? She hadn’t mentioned it. Amanda asked herself again if she should say something.  
Kris seemed to notice that Amanda was looking at the ball. “You noticed I got that out. You know, it’s going to be 20 years this fall since we won the World Series.”  
“Yeah,” Amanda said. “I’m very proud of the fact that my dad is a World Series champion.” That wasn’t a lie. This was something she and Chloe were both proud of. “So, this is one of the balls from the World Series.”  
“This is the ball from the final out,” Kris told Amanda. “One of the players on the other team hit the ball and I caught it, and then tossed it to your other father. He caught it and then we won the World Series. Then he gave me the ball.”  
Kris had mentioned Anthony. Amanda didn’t have to give up hope after all. “Bryce was annoyed that I got that ball out of storage, but I think he’s just jealous the Nationals never won the World Series while he was on that team and they still haven’t.”  
Amanda rolled her eyes at the mention of Bryce. “My other father... how come we never talk about him?”  
“We’ve talked about him, Chloe,” Kris sighed.  
“Not really,” Amanda pleaded. “There’s so many things I don’t know. I have the one photo, and I saw that video, you can’t blame me for wondering! I mean, why have I never seen him?” That was a question Amanda had always had. When she found out she had a twin, it made sense, but at the same time, it didn’t.  
“That’s just... the way they came up with the custody arrangement,” Kris sighed.  
Amanda noticed sadness in Kris’s eyes. “So, where is he now?”  
“I don’t know,” Kris said.  
“Maybe some of the other guys on the Cubs know,” Amanda said. Was she asking too many questions too soon? “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t.”  
“You know, you’re right,” Kris admitted. “You can ask me questions if you want.”  
Amanda felt her phone vibrate. She looked down and saw that there was a text from “AR” - she and Chloe had put each other’s numbers in their phones under their initials just in case. She opened the text. “Amanda! I saw the Cubs! They’re here in Miami! And Daddy’s amazing. He’s so nice and all the players on the Cubs seem to still look up to him and he was so good with the kid the event was for! And I have to tell you about the last game of the World Series!”  
Amanda shook her head. Clearly, Chloe wasn’t in a situation like she was in. She could just enjoy the time with Anthony rather than try to figure out how to get another man out of the picture. And Chloe had gotten to see the Cubs. Amanda could never even get Anthony to take her. It also sounded like Chloe had heard the same story she’d heard.  
“Are you okay?” Kris asked.  
“Yeah, sorry,” Amanda said. “I’m just a bit jetlagged, and having to switch time zones is never easy...”  
“That is true,” Kris said. “Want to watch a movie or something?”  
Amanda smiled to herself. “Yeah, I’d like that.”  
“You choose the movie and I’ll go pop some popcorn,” Kris said. “I’m going to be honest, I was hoping this could be our evening, just the two of us.”  
That was what Amanda had wanted, too. But at least now, she was getting it. As she went through the DVD collection, she debated with herself whether not to reply to Chloe’s text. Chloe had known Kris her whole life, and she’d just met him a few hours ago. Maybe she’d have some ideas of how to get Bryce out of the picture. But she decided to wait a little and just enjoy the time with the father she’d spent her whole life wanting to see.  
Kris came back with the popcorn and Amanda showed him the DVD she’d picked out. As they watched the movie together, Amanda felt completely comfortable, almost forgetting about Bryce. Visions kept coming to her mind of her, Chloe, Kris and Anthony all doing this together.


	7. To Go Or Not To Go

Amanda knew that it was three hours earlier in Florida, but she had to talk to Chloe. Chloe knew Kris better than she did. Maybe she’d have suggestions on how to deal with Bryce. Or she could let Amanda know if she was overreacting.  
She told Kris she was going to shower and went into Chloe’s bathroom, dialing her sister’s number. “Please pick up, please pick up,” she mumbled, knowing there was a possibility Chloe was in bed.  
Luckily, Chloe picked up the phone. “Yay! You called! Oh my God, Amanda, Daddy’s amazing! I can’t believe I’ve gone my whole life without knowing him! We went to see the Cubs tonight, like I told you, and they were so excited to see him and so was the kid the event was for. I can’t believe I saw the team our dads met on!”  
“Chloe,” Amanda interrupted. “I think Dad has a boyfriend.”  
“What?” Chloe laughed. “That’s not possible. Dad doesn’t date.”  
“This guy came to pick me up at the airport and had dinner with us,” Amanda groaned. “Maybe you should bring Daddy out here. I guess Dad told me the same story Daddy told you.”  
“About the last game of the World Series?” Chloe asked. “Isn’t that great? Our dads made history! They broke the 108 year drought! I wouldn’t worry, Amanda. This guy’s probably just a friend. If he told you that story, he obviously still thinks about Daddy. How did you get him to tell you?”  
“He has the ball in the living room,” Amanda said.  
“See?” Chloe asked. “If he didn’t still love Daddy, he wouldn’t have that ball out.”  
Maybe Amanda was more worried than she should be. Chloe had a point. “I’m jealous you got to see the Cubs though.”  
“Once our dads get back together, all four of us will go see them together,” Chloe said dreamily.  
Amanda smiled at that vision. “Yeah. Hopefully this guy won’t be back.”  
“If he is, just dare him to jump in the lake,” Chloe giggled. “It’s getting really late here, so I should get to bed. Hopefully I’ll see you soon.”  
“Yeah,” Amanda agreed before she and her sister said goodnight to each other. She hoped she was just worrying too much.

Chloe woke up the next morning, forgetting at first where she was. She was in her other father’s house. The first night with him had surpassed all her expectations. Since the Cubs were in town all weekend, she was going to try to get him to go to the rest of the games. Maybe that would lead in to him telling her more stories about their time on the Cubs.  
When Chloe went downstairs, Anthony was already there. “Was it nice sleeping in a real bed last night?” he asked his daughter.  
“Yes!” Chloe said. “You know I loved camp, but nothing beats a bed at home. So, Daddy, I’d really like to go see the Cubs again tonight. And tomorrow night. Come on, last night was so fun!”  
Anthony got a look of concern. “Are you sure?”  
“Yes!” Chloe protested. “And I’m sure they’d love to have the guy who caught the ball from the final out in Game 7 there!”  
Anthony got a look of sadness when Chloe mentioned Game 7. Chloe had a feeling that meant he was thinking about Kris. “Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, just a little tired,” Anthony said. “We should go see the Cubs. But your grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins are coming over for lunch. I forgot to tell you. We all missed you this summer.”  
“That’s great!” Chloe said. When she’d seen that video on Kris’s computer, it hit her that she had an entire other family she thought she’d never know. Now she was going to. “I missed them, too. And you.” That wasn’t false. She’d been missing Anthony her whole life. Now she was missing Amanda and Kris, but she was sure that the four of them could be a family before long.

Already, Kris was wondering if it was a bad idea to let Bryce come over yesterday. His daughter had been gone for eight weeks. This was a lot to drop on her. He’d started hanging out with Bryce shortly before Chloe went to camp, after Bryce told him he’d moved back to the Vegas area. He’d always been suspicious Bryce had a crush on him during their days in MLB. He didn’t think Bryce knew about him and Anthony. God, he missed Anthony.  
He hadn’t dated anyone in thirteen years because he missed Anthony so much. He’d been the one who’d walked out on Anthony and on the girls all those years ago. He was too embarrassed to go back, so he’d asked his parents to go pick up Chloe for him. He couldn’t go in there, face Anthony after the things he’d done, and then just leave him and Amanda again.  
He didn’t want to be with Bryce. He wanted to be with Anthony. But for all he knew, Anthony could be with someone else now. He could have anyone he wanted. And Kris didn’t want to be alone. Eventually, Chloe would go off to college.  
Every time he talked to one of the Cubs, he was tempted to ask if they’d heard from Anthony lately or how he was and how Amanda was. But he didn’t want to ask. What if they told him that Anthony had married someone else and had more kids.  
Kris felt arms around him giving him a hug. “Morning Daddy,” his daughter’s voice said softly.  
“Daddy?” A mere word could trigger him after all these years. He and Anthony had decided when they got the girls that Kris would be Dad and Anthony would be Daddy.  
She giggled. “Sorry.”  
“Hey sweetheart,” Kris said, trying to hold in how upset he’d gotten so easily. “So, I was thinking, it probably wasn’t a good idea for Bryce to have joined us yesterday. We’ve been apart from each other all summer. So I think today should just be me and you. You turned 14 while you were gone and I wasn’t with you for it.” He hadn’t been with Amanda for any of her birthdays either...  
Kris noticed relief coming over his daughter’s face. “Yeah, I’d like that. Just me and you.”  
He figured he’d ask the question he’d been wondering. “So, what did you think of Bryce?”  
The look of relief was gone and now his daughter looked uncomfortable. Maybe bringing up Bryce was a bad idea. It could have just been the fact that she’d been gone for so long, but yesterday she’d seemed more nervous and on edge than he’d seen her in a while. “Well, I just met him yesterday. I don’t think I can really have much of an opinion.” She got up and went over to look at the ball that was still in the living room. He’d gotten out that ball when she was at camp. That ball was his most treasured possession. He saw the way she was looking at it. She had so little of her other father, so it made sense that she was attached to this ball already.  
“I’d really like to see the Cubs sometime,” she said, looking at him. “Can we maybe go to Colorado or Arizona for a weekend and see them?”  
Would he be able to get through a Cubs game without completely losing it? He didn’t know. “Maybe.” He thought again of the invitation to the 20 year reunion. The guys were all texting him, telling him they wanted him there. He wanted to go. The whole team hadn’t been together in so long. He missed the guys. But what would it be like if he saw Anthony? Would things be too uncomfortable? And what if Anthony brought Amanda?  
Bryce had already told him not to go to the reunion. “That’s your past,” he’d said. But it wasn’t his past. He was still close with most of his teammates. And that was where he’d me the man he loved and who he knew he’d always love. The Cubs would always be part of him. Bryce didn’t get it. Bryce didn’t get Kris.

Seeing the Cubs last night had been a flood of mixed emotions for Anthony. It brought back lots of good memories, but it also brought back regrets and longing. Why hadn’t he chased after Kris all those years ago? Why hadn’t he protested when Kris’s parents had come to Chicago to pick up Chloe? Why had he agreed to that horrible arrangement the judge had suggested? Having Amanda gone all summer had made him miss Kris and Chloe even more. This was a preview of what was to come in the future when Amanda eventually left home. He couldn’t see himself falling in love again. He’d already fallen in love and he’d blown it.  
If his daughter wanted to see the Cubs, he wasn’t going to stop her. She didn’t know all the details of what happened. He didn’t know how to tell her or how she would react. He’d spent the morning hanging out with her before the doorbell rang. He was sure that she would tell his family that she’d seen the Cubs. He wouldn’t be surprised if she brought up the Final Out, since she’d seemed to like that story so much.  
The doorbell rang, and she hopped out of her seat on the couch, opening the door where John, Laurie, Johnny, Sarah, Vincent and Aria were waiting on the porch.  
“Oh my God!” Anthony heard his daughter squeal. “It’s so great to meet - see you all!” He watched as she gave big hugs to her family before they came in. “I missed you all at camp,” she continued, leading in the extended family. “I love camp, but it’s so nice to be home. You know, last night I finally went to my first Cubs game...”  
Of course she was talking about the Cubs. As she continued talking, Johnny came into the kitchen and approached his brother. “You took her to see the Cubs?”  
“I couldn’t keep saying no,” Anthony admitted. He looked around before noticing that his daughter had gone back out to the pool with Vincent and Aria before he lowered his voice. “It just... reminded me of him.”  
“Of course it is,” Johnny said. “Are you going to the reunion?”  
The reunion. Anthony knew if he let it slip that the reunion was coming up, she’d want to be there. She’d already asked to go to the rest of the Cubs’ games in Miami. “I don’t know... you know what could happen if I went...”  
“How long are you going to keep this from her?” Johnny asked. “She’s about to start high school.”  
“You don’t think I still love him?” Anthony interrupted his brother. “Of course I do! I have since the first day we met! You think I don’t think about him and about Chloe every single day? But he didn’t want to be together anymore. Who knows what can happen in 13 years? If I saw him, things could get too complicated and could get my heart broken all over again. And Amanda could get hurt. You know how easily she gets hurt. I don’t want that.”  
“You should at least think about it,” Johnny encouraged his brother. “You don’t have closure. I know you miss him and I’m sure seeing the Cubs brought back memories.”  
“So many memories,” Anthony admitted. “And I can’t put my finger on it, but she’s been reminding me of him a lot in the past 24 hours. It’s kind of odd.” He watched as his daughter came into the kitchen, knowing it was time to stop talking about Kris. At the same time, he knew that he did have a decision to make about the reunion. Maybe he’d try to find a time to talk to David at a game tonight or tomorrow, see if he’d heard if Kris was coming. It hurt him knowing that Amanda had grown up with half a family and hadn’t known it. She had a sister who she didn’t know about. While Johnny’s kids had always treated her like a sister, they weren’t her siblings. It hurt him knowing that Amanda and Chloe couldn’t have what he and Johnny had.  
If it all came out now, would it be a good thing or a bad thing? The girls had every right to be mad at their fathers for keeping such a big secret from them. But had this worked for 14 years? Amanda may have thought it was working, but really, Anthony was managing. He was getting through the days. This wasn't the life he wanted for himself and Amanda. He wanted the two of them to be with Kris and Chloe.


	8. Wrench

One more game. Anthony just needed to get through one more game. Seeing those guys out there in those uniforms reminded him of all those years ago, when he and Kris were the ones in those uniforms. If there was a guy with #17, it would have been too much. Luckily, that number had been retired when Kris retired.  
“You really should come to the reunion,” David said to Anthony.  
“I don’t know,” Anthony mumbled. “I want to, we haven’t all been together in years...”  
“Ten years ago, we all were together except the two of you,” David interrupted. “It would be nice for Amanda to go to Chicago, too.”  
“I’m worried about what would happen if he’s there, if he brings Chloe with him,” Anthony continued. “I’m always wondering about her and hoping she’s doing well. I didn’t think this would last. I felt like I shouldn’t call him since he was the one who left, but I wanted to so badly, and so much time has gone by...”  
“Maybe that’s why you should go to the reunion then,” David suggested.  
“What if he still hates me?” Anthony asked. “Despite the fight that night, I never stopped loving him, missing him, wanting to be together again and raise our daughters together...”

“You’re really good with kids,” the Cubs’ shortstop, Brendan Glick, told Chloe as he came over to see her playing catch with his five-year-old daughter.  
Chloe grinned. “Thanks. I got my babysitter certification as soon as I was old enough.” Luckily, she knew Amanda loved kids and had also gotten her babysitter certificate as soon as she could, so this wasn’t false.  
“You and your dad should come to the reunion,” Brendan continued. “I’m really excited to meet the other guys who were on that team.”  
Reunion? “What reunion?” Chloe asked.  
“Maybe your dad didn’t get around to telling you,” Brendan said. “Next weekend, we’re having a reunion at Wrigley for the Cubs who won the World Series 20 years ago. We’re going to have a pregame ceremony and everything and have them throw out first pitches. All of us are really excited.”  
“Wow,” Chloe gasped. This was perfect! This was just the way to get Kris and Anthony to see each other again! She’d tell Anthony and she’d try to find a way for Amanda to tell Kris. After saying goodbye to the shortstop and his daughter, she went over to where Anthony was talking with David. “Daddy, we should go to the 20 year reunion for the World Series Championships! Brendan was just telling me about it!”  
“That’s actually what your dad and I were talking about,” David said, looking from Chloe to Anthony. “We’d love it if you guys came. We need to show you Wrigley!”  
“Yeah, we do!” Chloe giggled. She couldn’t believe her good luck. Amanda thought that there was another guy, but she knew once Kris saw Anthony again, this guy would be forgotten. This was the perfect opportunity. They wouldn’t need to come up with an excuse to go meet up somewhere, they had something.

She knew about the reunion. Anthony had a feeling she’d find out on the internet and considered himself lucky she hadn’t. He was lucky she hadn’t figured out exactly who her other father was on the internet or that she had a twin. That would make for an uncomfortable situation. Why hadn’t he done something sooner so they all weren’t in such a bad situation for so long? He tried to think of something to say. “Are you sure you don’t want some time to relax before school starts?”  
“I’ve never been to Chicago! Or Wrigley! Come on, Daddy! Plus, it’ll be nice to see my uncles.” His daughter gave him a puppy face.  
“I’ll think about it,” Anthony said.  
He got another puppy face from his daughter. “I hope you’re not just saying that. Can I go get a snack?”  
“Of course.” Anthony handed his daughter his credit card before turning back to David. “Well, she seems to want to go.”  
“Of course she does,” David shot back. “We’d all love to have you there.”  
“What if he’s there?” Anthony asked.  
“We haven’t heard from him,” David admitted. “Like last time, everyone’s in except you two.”  
Anthony’s heart sank after hearing Kris wouldn’t be there. Just a few moments ago, he was worried about the possibility of seeing Kris. Now he was sad that even if he did go, he probably wouldn’t see Kris or get to meet Chloe.

“Did you sleep well?” Kris asked his daughter.  
“Yeah, I did,” she said, smiling.  
“Good,” Kris said. “I would have woken you up if you hadn’t come down. We have some visitors coming over.” He noticed the look of dread on his daughter’s face. “Is there something you wanted to talk about?”  
“Who’s coming over?” she asked.  
“You’ll see,” Kris said as the doorbell rang. He went to answer it as he let in his former teammates, Javi Baez, Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber. Ever since his daughter got home from camp, she’d been quieter and that whenever Bryce was around or after he left, she got nervous. He’d known the guys would be in Vegas this weekend (they’d been planning it before the reunion was even announced) and now, he hoped that spending some time with them would help her relax a little.  
“We’re still hoping you’ll join us in Chicago in a few days,” Dexter whispered as the guys came in.  
Kris paused. “Don’t talk about it in front of her,” he whispered. “I haven’t made any decisions yet.” He wasn’t sure what he wanted with Bryce, and seeing reminders of Anthony, maybe even Anthony himself, might complicate things. Not to mention there would probably be uncomfortable conversations with his daughter.  
He saw her face light up as she ran to hug her honorary uncles. “It’s so good to see you guys!”  
“Well, it’s good to see you too,” Jason said. “Your dad told us you got back from Camp Wrigley a few days ago, did you have fun?”  
“Yeah, I did,” she said. “But it’s really nice to be home. I missed my dad.”  
“I missed her too,” Kris said. “But she’s already insisting on going back.”  
“Yes I am,” she giggled. “So, what have you guys been up to since you got here?”  
As Kris watched his daughter talking with the guys, relief came over him. Maybe he was worried for nothing. It was perfectly normal to be hesitant about someone your dad was dating, right? And even though she said she was excited, he was sure there were some nerves about starting high school. As he started to prepare lunch, the doorbell rang, and he saw fear on his daughter’s face again.  
Sure enough, he went to the door, and there was Bryce. “Bryce, what are you doing here?” Kris asked.  
Bryce came into the house. “Do I need to call to come by and visit?”  
Kris motioned to the guys in the living room. “As you see, we have company now.”  
“Ah, I haven’t seen these guys in years!” Bryce said. “But Kris, I wanted to surprise you.”  
“Surprise me?” Kris asked.  
“Yeah,” Bryce began. “You know, ever since the first time I met you, I was attracted to you. You have the most beautiful blue eyes and the most sexy smile. You can throw a mean ball and you can run and catch like crazy. You find a way to make everything look sexy and I’ve wanted to be with you since our days of growing up.” What did any of that even mean? Before Kris had a chance to think of something to say, Bryce got down on one knee and got out a little box, opening it to reveal a gold band. “Kristopher Lee Bryant, will you marry me?”  
Kris opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His mind went back to the day when he asked Anthony to marry him, only to learn that Anthony had bought a ring and had been planning to propose as well. He looked around the living room, where the guys had looks of shock on their faces and his daughter looked like she was going to throw up. “I need to step outside for a minute,” she said, jumping up and bolting outside.  
“Chloe...” Kris began, starting to take off. If this upset her so much, he shouldn’t marry Bryce.  
“How about we go talk to her?” Kyle suggested. “You two can stay here and talk.”  
“Yeah, maybe she’ll be more likely to talk to you,” Kris said. He wasn’t sure if he could face her. “Thank you.”   
The guys went into the back yard and Kris turned to Bryce. “Bryce, you saw how much that upset her. I can’t marry you if she’s not ready.”  
“Oh, she’s a teenage girl, she’ll get over it,” Bryce said. “Besides, you need to think of yourself, Kris. You deserve to be happy.”  
“I’m not sure if I’m ready to make this sort of commitment,” Kris admitted. “I don’t know if that’s the way I feel about you.” That was a lie. He KNEW this wasn’t the way he felt about Bryce. He knew someone else had his heart.  
“We’re not getting any younger,” Bryce said. “And like I said, I’ve wanted to marry you for years. What’s holding you back? It’s not like Chloe’s mother even seems to be in the picture.”  
If only he knew. “Bryce, if you really cared about me, you’d respect me and realize that I’m not ready,” Kris repeated. “And neither is Chloe. When you’re a parent, you put your child first.”  
“Doesn’t mean you have to disregard yourself,” Bryce interrupted.

Amanda felt tears burning in her eyes. This was going all wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. She and Chloe were supposed to bring their dads back together so they could all be a family together. Instead, another man had asked Kris to marry him. She dialed Chloe’s number, hoping her sister would pick up.  
Sure enough, Chloe picked up. “Hey!”  
“Chloe, Bryce asked Dad to marry him!” Amanda said, her voice shaking.  
“What?!” Chloe asked in horror.  
“Yeah, he just showed up today with a stupid ring and asked him,” Amanda said, feeling her tears coming down. “He keeps showing up and I hoped it wasn’t serious, but then today he proposed!”  
“Oh God,” Chloe said. “Well, I was about to call you to tell you the Cubs are having a 20 year reunion next weekend and that would be perfect for them to see each other again. Now, we both have to make sure they go and see each other.”  
Amanda would have been so excited about this possibility, but it was hard to feel confident when Bryce had asked Kris to marry him. “I’ll see what I can do. Javi, Jason, Dexter and Kyle are in Vegas now, maybe I can somehow get one of them to say something about the reunion without giving away what’s going on...” How was she supposed to do that?  
“Yeah, the Cubs’ current shortstop said something to me about it,” Chloe said. “So I talked about it in front of Daddy and David. We knew they’d always have to see each other again, right? We’re just going to have to do it sooner than expected. Once they see each other, Bryce will be forgotten.”  
Amanda wished she had her sister’s confidence. “We’ll see. I’ll try to get someone to say something.”  
When Amanda got off the phone, she turned and saw her dads’ friends. Immediately, she wondered how much they’d heard. Was the jig up? Did they somehow know?  
“Hi Amanda,” Dexter said confidently, as the other guys had knowing smiles.  
Maybe if Amanda revealed what was going on to the guys, they could help. “You know?”  
“Oh, we knew you were here as soon as David texted us to say that he knew it was Chloe in Florida,” Jason said. “And we would’ve known anyway. We know our nieces.”  
“And we all knew that if we all insisted your dads send you both to the same camp, you two would be bound to meet up,” Kyle added triumphantly.  
So Amanda and Chloe weren’t the only ones who wanted their dads back together. “You guys were in on this?!” Amanda gasped. “Well, Chloe and I wanted to each meet our other dad and get them back together, but a wrench has been thrown in, so if you guys can help us get them back together and stop our dad from marrying Bryce.”  
“Oh, we’re already one step ahead of you girls,” Javi interrupted. “Your sister told you about the Cubs reunion, it sounded like?”  
“Yeah,” Amanda said. “We need to get both of them to go. And we need you guys to help us.”


	9. Confessions

Anthony hoped he wouldn’t regret this.  
He’d just purchased tickets to Chicago to go to the reunion. He had to admit, he liked the idea of going. He’d made it through the games against the Cubs in Miami. He hadn’t been with all the guys in years. And he knew his daughter really wanted to go. It surprised him that his daughter who hated flying, crowds and noise so much wanted to go so badly, but at the same time, he got it. This was a piece of his past and it probably also helped her feel more connected to her other father.  
Her other father. David said he hadn’t heard back from Kris. Anthony wanted to see Kris, but at the same time he was terrified about the possibility of seeing Kris. Was Kris still mad at him? Had he married someone else? Did he hate Anthony? Then there was Chloe. He’d thought about his second daughter every day, but what if she hated him? What if Amanda hated him as well once she found out about the truth?  
Anthony went downstairs where his daughter was watching TV. “So, you’ll be happy to hear, we’re going to Chicago.”  
Chloe tried not to get too excited, but she jumped off the couch and ran over to hug Anthony. “Thank you so much! I’m so excited! This is going to be great!”  
Anthony wished he could have his daughter’s excitement. “I know you really wanted to go.”  
“I really do want to go to Chicago and see Wrigley and all the guys,” Chloe continued. “And I hope Dad is there so all of us can be together...” Chloe stopped herself mid sentence. All of us? Had she given away that she knew?  
Anthony listened to his daughter. “All of us?”  
Chloe hoped that Anthony wouldn’t look into what she’d said, but in the short time she’d known him, she couldn’t say she was surprised. “You, me and Dad.”  
Dad? Did she somehow know that Kris had been Dad when the girls lived with both their dads? “Honey, I don’t know if he’s going to be there.” He still wasn’t sure if he wanted Kris to be there. He wished that things could just pick up where they left off, but he wasn’t naive. A lot could change in thirteen years.  
Chloe tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t give herself away. She’d already slipped up. She knew that the guys from the Cubs who were in Vegas knew and that David had figured it out as well. “I really want to meet him, that’s all. And wouldn’t you like to see him?”  
Of course Anthony wanted to see him. The question was if Kris wanted to see Anthony. “I know you do, you’ve been talking about him a lot. And I understand. It’s only natural to wonder what your other parent is like when you haven’t seen them since you were a baby.” Had being away from him make her miss Kris more as well? She’d always had some curiosity, but it had peaked since she got back from camp. Or maybe it was because she’d finally seen the Cubs. “I’ve told you, you can ask me anything you want about him.” What else was he supposed to say?  
Chloe found herself getting nervous. She could tell he was suspicious. Should she just tell him?  
“Are you okay?” Anthony asked, noticing how nervous his daughter looked.  
Chloe felt her phone vibrate. She opened it and saw a text from Amanda. Kris had said no to Bryce. She sighed in relief.  
“Who was that?” Anthony asked.  
“Nothing,” Chloe said. “Just texting one of my girlfriends.”  
Anthony sighed. He could tell that wasn’t just any text. He knew his daughter. She didn’t seem to want to tell him something. “Okay.”  
Chloe could tell Anthony was suspicious. Should she just come out and tell him? “Daddy... there’s another reason I want to go to Chicago.”  
Anthony nodded. “Okay.” Had she met a boyfriend at camp that she was afraid to tell him about?  
Chloe tried to think of the right words. She opened her mouth, but nothing was coming out.  
“Amanda...” Anthony began. “Whatever it is, I’ll love you. I promise.”  
“That’s just it,” Chloe mumbled. “I’m not Amanda. I’m Chloe.” She’d finally said it.  
Anthony felt like time had stopped. He was looking at his other daughter. So many emotions were coming over him. He remembered the day Kris’s parents had come to the apartment to pick up Chloe as if it were yesterday. There had been a huge hole in his life and his heart all these years. And now here she was, in the same room as him. Overcome with emotion, he pulled her in for a hug, struggling to stop his tears from falling. “Chloe... baby... it’s really you.” He hugged her as close as he can, not wanting to let her go.  
“Amanda and I met up at camp,” Chloe explained. “We kind of figured everything out, so we trained each other to be each other so we could meet our other dad. She even pierced my ears and the other girls in the cabin and I cut her hair. I hope you’re not mad. I just really wanted to meet you and she really wanted to meet Dad.”  
“Of course I’m not mad,” Anthony said softly. “I love you so, so much. I’ve thought about you every day.”  
“Daddy,” Chloe mumbled softly. “My daddy.” She was so relieved that he wasn’t mad at her.  
“You’re so grown up,” Anthony thought out loud. “And so beautiful.” He’d missed so much, but he knew he didn’t want to lose his daughter again.  
“I don’t want to lose you again,” Chloe said. “I know it’s only been a few days, but I can’t.”  
“Neither do I,” Anthony said. “I promise, we’ll work something out.”  
“Because I don’t want to lose Amanda again, either.” Chloe tried to drop a hint that she and Amanda had another goal with the switch.

Bryce had been very difficult about Chloe not wanting Kris to marry him, but he’d eventually left, telling Kris that he hoped he’d come around. Kris knew that Chloe wasn’t the only one who wasn’t ready. He didn’t think he could ever marry Bryce - in fact, maybe it was time to break up. He’d given it a try but his heart belonged to someone else and it probably always would.  
Now that Bryce was gone, he knew he needed to talk to his daughter. He appreciated that the guys had talked with her, but this was something he needed to do. He went to his backyard and saw the guys sitting with his daughter on one of the benches near the grill. “Guys, thanks for talking with her, but is it okay if I talk to her for a little?” Kris asked. “Maybe tomorrow you can all come over for lunch or something?”  
The guys said goodbye to the father and daughter before Kris took his seat next to his daughter. “Chloe, I told Bryce that if you don’t want me to, I’m not going to marry him. I’m not going to get married if you’re not ready. You’re more important to me than anything or anyone in the world.”  
She was quiet before she looked at her father. “I really don’t like Bryce.” She got out her phone and typed a text before she put her phone away.  
Now he had confirmation. “You often seemed nervous when he came over.”  
“Why are you dating him anyway?”  
Kris tried to think of something to say. “I haven’t dated anyone in a while...”  
“Well, I don’t like him,” she repeated. “And I don’t think he likes me either.”  
What was Kris supposed to say to that? Bryce hadn’t seemed particularly thrilled that Kris had a daughter and he hadn’t been particularly friendly to her. “You should just break up with him. You wouldn’t still have that ball in the living room if you didn’t still love Daddy.”  
Daddy? Chloe knew that Anthony had been Daddy? How? And yes, of course Kris still loved Anthony. But did Anthony still love him? What if he had remarried? He hadn’t called. Kris hadn’t called him either.  
Amanda noticed the look on Kris’s face. He’d noticed her gaffe. She hadn’t even realized he’d done it. Maybe she should just come out and do it. “Dad... there’s something I need to tell you.” She took a deep breath, not sure if this was a good idea.  
Kris took his daughter’s hand. “Okay. You know you can always tell me anything.” As she looked away, he looked into her eyes. “You don’t need to be afraid.” Had something happened to her?  
“I’m not Chloe,” she blurted out, stumbling through her words and pausing between each one, terrified of his reaction.  
Was Kris hallucinating? He’d noticed his daughter had been quieter and some of her habits had changed over the past few days, but this thought had never crossed his mind. “Amanda?” he gasped. He looked over at the girl sitting next to him, so grown up and so beautiful. He’d been wondering where she was for years, and now here she was. Tears were filling his eyes, Bryce completely forgotten.  
“I hope you’re not mad at me,” Amanda whispered. “Chloe was in my cabin at camp and we kind of figured everything out. We look exactly alike and she saw that video of us, and when I was there she figured something was up... so we decided to switch places.” Her heart was beating fast and she was having trouble even looking at Kris.  
Kris pulled Amanda in close, letting some tears fall on her head. “Amanda, baby, I love you so much.”  
“I love you too,” Amanda whispered, a whisk of relief coming over her.   
“I’ve thought about you every single day and now here you are,” Kris mumbled, pulling apart for a moment to get another look at his daughter. “I can’t believe you’re here.”  
“I thought I’d lost you forever,” Amanda mumbled.  
“So, does this mean Chloe’s in Florida?” Kris asked.  
“Yeah,” Amanda said. “I’m so glad I met her, too. She’s amazing.”  
“She is, isn’t she? I’m so glad you guys met up,” Kris said.  
So far, this was going better than Amanda thought it would. “She and Daddy are going to Chicago for the reunion. We should go, too.” She gulped, knowing what would inevitably happen. “I guess you guys will have to switch us back at some point.” She hoped Kris would catch on to the fact that the girls didn’t want to be split up any longer.  
“Well... you have a life in Florida and Chloe does have a life here,” Kris admitted. He’d just gotten his daughter back. He didn’t want to say goodbye to her again. “But I’m going to make sure we can still see each other, maybe you guys can spend holidays together or something.” That wasn’t what he wanted. He could tell by the look on Amanda’s face that she didn’t want that either. What he wanted was for him, Anthony and the girls to all be a family together. “I like the idea of going to the reunion. I’m sure once we get there, we can figure something out.”


	10. 13 Years Later

This would have to be done.  
After Kris decided he would go to Chicago, he knew there was a possibility of seeing Anthony. Now, he had to talk to him. If Anthony was going to be in Chicago, this would be a good time to figure out what to do about the girls going forward. If he wasn’t going to Chicago, they’d need to work something out. He missed Chloe, but the thought of saying goodbye to Amanda again made him so sad.  
Amanda had given him Anthony’s number. He picked up his phone and dialed the number. Amanda was clearly relishing in the fact that she’d finally found her other father and had stayed with him on the couch even after he told her he was calling Anthony. He was glad she was there. He didn’t want to make this call alone.

Anthony couldn’t believe Chloe was actually here. The baby girl he’d lost all those years ago and never stopped thinking about or missing was here with him. He’d always loved her, but now that he’d actually met her, he loved her even more, if possible. He was also so happy that the girls had found each other and had clearly bonded. Chloe had said she didn’t want to lose Amanda again. The girls hadn’t even known of each other’s existence at the beginning of the summer, but it sounded like now, it was as if they’d been in each other’s lives forever.  
A family had been split in half. The question was - what would Kris want to do? He had custody of Chloe, just like Anthony had custody of Amanda. Kris. How was he? There was the chance of seeing him in Chicago and Anthony wasn’t sure if he was ready.  
Then his phone started ringing. Chloe looked at his phone. “It’s Dad!”  
Anthony saw the look of excitement in his daughter’s eyes. His heart briefly broke for her. He knew what she wanted was for her dads to be together again. That was what Anthony wanted, too, but did Kris? He picked up the phone, trying to think of what to say. “Hi.”  
The phone rang a few times before Anthony answered. Kris had been worrying - would Anthony not pick up the phone because he didn’t recognize the number? Did Chloe tell him this was his number and Anthony was ignoring the call because of it? All those years ago, he’d sent his parents to pick up Chloe. Anthony could very well send someone out to Vegas to drop off Chloe and take Amanda back to Florida. But now Anthony answered the phone. Kris heard that voice for the first time in years. And boy, did it make his heart flutter. “Hi.” He didn’t know what else to say. That he was sorry for walking out all those years ago? Ask Anthony how he was? Tell him about what had happened with the girls?  
Hearing Kris’s voice again made him so happy. Kris didn’t sound upset to be hearing from him. That was something. Anthony was tempted to apologize for not fighting harder to get Kris back all those years ago, but this was the first time they’d spoken in 13 years. Maybe he shouldn’t get deep just yet. “So, how are you?” Great. That probably wasn’t the best thing to say either.  
What was Kris supposed to say? That he missed Anthony and Amanda like crazy? That he was so glad to be talking to him again? “Well, I’m glad that I’ve met my other daughter,” Kris said. “She’s such a sweet girl, Anthony. You did such a great job.”  
After all this time, they still knew each other so well. Kris didn’t have to ask if Anthony knew about what the girls had done. He knew that Anthony knew. “Well, I can say the same about you with Chloe. She’s so much fun and she has such a big heart. So, you know?”  
“Yeah, Amanda told me,” Kris admitted. Was Anthony wondering about when he would get Amanda back? Kris didn’t want to let her go, but she had a life on the opposite side of the country, just like Chloe had a life here. And he did miss Chloe. It had now been more than two months since he’d seen her. What were they supposed to do? “Are you thinking of going to Chicago for the reunion? Maybe if you are, we could get in a few days early so the girls can have some time together and we could figure out what to do next.” He decided he may as well be up front.  
So Kris would be in Chicago. Now Anthony knew. He’d be seeing the man he still loved after 13 years. “I’m planning to go too.” What would happen after they were in Chicago? Likely, Amanda would come back here and Chloe would go back to Vegas. Once again, the family would be separated. He’d have to let Chloe go again and he hated that. “It’ll be nice to see you. And I’ve never gone this long without seeing Amanda. I’ll have to call her after I get off the phone with you so I can hear her version of the camp experience. I’ve missed her. And you.” Those last two words had just come out.  
Anthony missed him? Was it in a romantic way or in a friendship way? They had been friends before they fell in love. “Yeah, I miss you too,” Kris said. “Maybe if we get to Chicago early, the four of us can spend some time together. We can show the girls the city we represented.” And have some family time. Could the four of them still be considered a family?  
“I’d like that,” Anthony admitted. “The girls are too young to remember getting to spend time with both of us. I’ve bonded with Chloe over the past week and it sounds like you bonded with Amanda and they’ve bonded with each other...” At this point it was word salad. It felt good to be talking to Kris again, but he was so afraid of messing up again. Now that the girls were older and invested in both their dads and in each other, they could get hurt more easily.  
“That would be great,” Kris agreed. Anthony had said he’d missed him. That gave him hope. “So, when do you think you’re going to get into Chicago?” He was so impatient to see Anthony and to see Chloe, to have the whole family together. If they could still call themselves that.  
Anthony was glad Kris had asked. He was wondering the same thing. “Maybe I’ll see if we can get there tomorrow?” He'd got tickets, but he couldn’t wait for them to be together and be with both their girls.  
If Anthony wanted to get in sooner rather than later, Kris would take advantage of that. “That sounds good. I’ll see what I can find and keep you updated, okay?” Holy crap. This was happening. He was going to see Anthony.  
“Okay,” Anthony said. There was a possibility he’d see Kris tomorrow. He’d spent the last thirteen years waiting for this moment, but now he felt completely unprepared.


	11. Back in Chicago

Anthony had waited 13 years for this moment, but as the plane touched down in Chicago, he felt nowhere near ready. Texting with Kris again had been both reassuring and strange at the same time. Kris had told him that the flight from Vegas was set to arrive about a half hour after the flight from Florida. Whenever his phone went off with a text from Kris, he felt the same spark of excitement he used to feel, but he also felt afraid of the mistakes they’d made 13 years ago happening again.  
“So, are you excited to see Dad?” a giddy Chloe asked as the father and daughter unboarded the plane.  
“Yeah, it’ll be nice to see him and to see your sister,” Anthony said, wondering what Chloe was thinking. She was obviously trying hard not to giggle. He knew this from Amanda. Even after being raised thousands of miles away from each other, they shared some of the same traits. He realized it had now been over nine weeks since he’d seen Amanda. He’d grown to love Chloe more than he’d ever loved her from a distance, but he missed Amanda.  
“And I’m excited to go to Wrigley, and for Amanda to see the Cubs for the first time,” Chloe continued. “And see my uncles.”  
“Yeah,” Anthony added. He knew that several of the guys knew what was going on. It would nice to all be in the same place again. It had been too long. “What do you say we go get a snack or something while we wait for your dad and sister?”  
“Yeah, but something small,” Chloe said. “Amanda and I have been texting and we want to go out to dinner with both of you tonight.”  
Anthony shouldn’t have been surprised to hear that. The girls had never had a meal that they could remember with both their dads. “Your dad and I can talk about that when he gets here.”  
Chloe pouted. “Okay.”

Even with the anticipation of seeing her sister and her dad, Kris could tell that Amanda had been nervous on the flight from Vegas to Chicago. She’d told him that she hated flying. While it made him feel bad to see his daughter so nervous, he felt some sense of satisfaction when she held on to him as the plane took off and landed. Even though she’d only been there a week, it was clear that she saw him the way he always hoped she would.  
Once the flight landed, however, Amanda’s nerves seemed to be gone. “We’re going to see Daddy and Chloe!” she giggled.  
“Yeah, we are,” Kris said. Should he be excited or nervous? He thought he was ready for this, but he was nowhere near ready. What was he supposed to say to Anthony? Sorry I walked out all those years ago? Sorry I never contacted you since then? Sorry that we were in over our heads?  
Amanda began texting at her phone. “I just texted Chloe. She said they’re at The Capitol Grill. Let’s go see them!”  
Kris tried to think of an excuse to give himself more time to prepare. “Are you sure you have all your luggage?”  
“Yeah,” Amanda said confidently. “Let’s go see them! I’ve missed Chloe, I’m sure you have too. And I’ve missed Daddy.” She gave Kris a puppy face.  
Kris had also missed Chloe and Anthony. Had Anthony missed him though? His eyes fell on a photo on the wall from that amazing night back in November of 2016, of him and Anthony embracing each other after the victory as some of the other guys were running up to them. He could tell Amanda was looking at the photo, too. He didn’t know this photo was on display at the airport, but he hadn’t been in Chicago in 13 years.  
“Come on!” Amanda said. “I know you want to see the real thing.”  
She knew. Kris had a feeling Chloe knew, too.

Anthony stood by the entrance of the restaurant where he and Chloe had gotten drinks when he saw Kris and Amanda walking down the terminal. There was Kris. The past thirteen years had clearly been good to him. He still had those beautiful blue eyes that Anthony loved staring into. Wait, people’s eyes didn’t change color. Or did they? Part of why he’d chosen the birth mother they picked was he wanted their child to have those eyes. Kris had said he wanted that birth mother because her hair was similar to Anthony’s. Just seeing Kris had brought back memories of when they were looking through the listings of women putting their babies up for adoption, hoping to plan their lives together that ended before they could really begin.  
There he was. Kris would have recognized Anthony anywhere, even if they hadn’t planned to meet up. But now that he was seeing him in person, Kris couldn’t help but notice that Anthony was so handsome, just as he’d always been. And now he was giving Kris one of those smiles that he so often gave him all those years ago. Kris smiled back, sure that he looked awkward. Anthony looked a bit awkward too, but adorably so. “Hi,” Kris managed to say.  
Anthony was glad Kris had made the first step. He didn’t know what to say. “Hi.”  
Meanwhile, the two girls stood off to the side. “Look at our dads,” Chloe whispered to Amanda. “Look at them.”  
Kris glanced over at his daughters, both of whom were giggling. “What are you two giggling about?” Then it hit him: this was the first time in 13 years he’d seen them together. Already, they were acting like sisters.  
“Nothing,” the two girls said at the same time.  
“Look at them,” Anthony said to Kris, taking in a sight he thought he’d never see, trying to hold back the tears. “Our little girls.”  
“Both of them,” Kris added. “Our babies.” He looked from the girls to Anthony, trying to figure what else to say.  
Noticing the silence, Amanda walked over to Anthony, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. “I missed you, Daddy.”  
“Hypocrite,” Chloe mumbled, slightly annoyed that Amanda had taken Anthony’s attention away from Kris. But she figured now would be a good time to go do the same. She walked over to Kris and gave him a big hug. “I missed you too, you know.”  
“I’m impressed that you girls pulled that off,” Kris said, looking over at Amanda and then down at Chloe.  
“You little tricksters,” Anthony added.  
“You guys kept us from each other, it’s only fair we get a little revenge,” Chloe shot back.  
“Did you guys hate each other more than you loved us?” Amanda asked.  
The things the girls had said hit both Anthony and Kris like a ton of bricks. Of course they didn’t hate each other. Even if they’d hated how things were at the time, they could never hate each other. And they both now realized that this arrangement had really been a bad idea. Why had they agreed to it?  
“Girls, that wasn’t the case at all,” Anthony began, trying to think of something to say. “We were so young. We were getting used to the post baseball life. When you get older, you’ll realize sometimes you make decisions that seem like they’re the right thing at the time, but then you realize that they were wrong.”  
Kris was thankful Anthony had spoken first. He always knew what to say. “I do not hate your father at all. And we love you girls more than anything. No matter what, you two will always come first for both of us, and from this point on, we’ll make sure you two aren’t kept from each other, and from us.”  
“I didn’t hate you either,” Anthony said to Kris. “And I’m really, really sorry if you ever thought I did. I could never hate you.”  
“I could never hate you either,” Kris said.  
The girls began giggling again. “So, how about we get to the hotel so we can unpack before dinner tonight?” Chloe asked.  
“Yeah, did she mention their dinner plans for us to you?” Anthony asked Kris.  
“She did,” Kris said.  
Anthony and Kris looked at each other for a few more moments before they both dropped the bags they were holding and pulled each other into a tight hug. After all these years, the hugs felt so good. There were still lots of conversations that needed to be had, but right now, both felt a sense of reassurance they hadn’t had in 13 years.


	12. He Still Loves You

In the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, Chloe and Amanda sat in the back of the taxi, catching up with each other and talking about their weeks with the dad they hadn’t grown up with.  That left Kris and Anthony to sit in the middle row of the cab, trying to think of things to say to each other.  They were both staring out the windows, trying to steal glances at each other.  Little did either of them know, their daughters were watching them from the back seats of the van and saw the glances they were getting at each other.  
Hoping that getting the girls talking with their dads would get Anthony to talk, Kris decided to speak.  “So, how did you girls figure it out exactly?”  
“Well, remember this spring when I was in your office and found that video on your computer?” Chloe asked Kris.  
“What video?” Anthony asked.  Kris still had photos and videos of him around, it sounded like?  He wasn’t the only one?  
“I left my computer on one day, and Chloe went into my office and found a video I had on there of the girls crawling,” Kris told Anthony.  He turned back to Chloe.  “Yes, of course I remember.”  He’d panicked when Chloe saw that video.  He told her that Amanda was her cousin and was relieved when she didn’t question that.  He was terrified she’d be angry if she found out the truth.  
“Yeah, so when I saw this girl who looked like me at camp, I thought it just might be my ‘cousin’ Amanda from the video,” Chloe said.  
“So we started talking,” Amanda added.  “And we found out both of us were just raised by dads that were married to other men when we were babies who they then split up with.  Then we found out both our dads were on the World Series Championship winning Chicago Cubs.  So, we showed each other the photo of our dads.”  
“Plus, my name is Chloe Antonia Bryant, and her name is Amanda Kristine Rizzo,” Chloe continued.  “I think that could’ve helped us figure out something was up.”  
“Amanda Kristine Rizzo?” Kris gasped, looking at Anthony.  That hadn’t been the middle name they’d given her when they filled out the paperwork at the hospital.  
“Yeah,” Anthony said, looking over at Kris.  “I wanted her to have something from you.  But you named Chloe after me?”  
“I did,” Kris admitted.  “She needed a piece of you as well.  When I took her to have her last name changed, I wanted at least part of her name to be from you.”  
“Well, we’ve been talking,” Amanda said.  “And we both want to change our last name to Bryant-Rizzo or Rizzo-Bryant, whichever the one you gave us when we were first born.”  
“It was Bryant-Rizzo,” Kris said.  “I talked him into it because Bryant came first in the alphabet.”  
“I was actually the one who suggested that,” Anthony shot back.  “Besides, Rizzo-Bryant doesn’t flow as well.”  
“We want to have the same last name,” Amanda said.  “We are sisters, after all.”  
“And you should,” Kris said.  “We’ll work it out.”

The taxi pulled into the hotel.  The official Cubs hotel, the one where visiting teams stayed in when they played the Cubs.  The hotel was clearly ready for the reunion.  Front pages of newspapers from the World Series victory were on display in the lobby, as were W flags, Cubs flags and other Cubs decorations.  The girls were looking at the memorabilia as Kris and Anthony went to the check-in desk.  As Kris checked in, Anthony stared at his ex-husband’s butt.  How was it that all these years later, he still had a perfect butt?

“Did you see them?” Amanda said to Chloe as they looked at the newspaper pages.  “It’s so obvious they’re still in love with each other!”  
“YES!” Chloe agreed.  “Wait until we go to Wrigley.  They won’t be able to resist each other.”  
“We’ll also need to get the guys to help us get a surprise of some sort ready for them,” Amanda continued.  “I know we’re going to dinner tonight, but we should do something that they probably don’t want us to know about.”  
Chloe smirked.  “Yeah.  But seriously, I think things are going well so far.”  
“What are you girls talking about?” Kris asked, coming up behind the girls after he finished checking in.  
“Oh, we’re just looking at all these papers,” Chloe said.  “We’re so proud of our dads and we can’t wait to go to Wrigley.”  
“It’ll be nice to show you Wrigley,” Kris said, all the memories he had at Wrigley coming back.  
“Where’s Daddy?” Amanda asked.  
“He’s finishing checking in,” Kris told the girls.  “Maybe we can go to the hotel pool or something before dinner.  Speaking of which, it’s taking him longer than I thought to check in.  I’ll go make sure things are okay and then come back with you guys.”

As Anthony finished checking in, he turned around and saw who was standing behind him.  This was not a person he expected to see here.  “Bryce Harper?”  
“Anthony Rizzo,” Bryce said.  “Long time no see.”  
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting you,” Anthony said.  Bryce had never played for the Cubs and didn’t have any connections to Chicago, so why would he be here?  Maybe he was on a vacation or something.  
“I bet you’re here for the Cubs reunion,” Bryce smirked.  “I can’t wait to tell everyone the good news.  Remember Kris Bryant?”  
Oh no.  Was Bryce going to say what Anthony thought he was?  “Yeah...”  
“I asked Kris to marry me!” Bryce declared.  
Anthony’s heart stopped.  Kris was engaged?  He wasn’t wearing a ring.  Kris hadn’t mentioned it.  Neither of the girls had said anything.  Maybe Anthony was being naive, but by the looks Kris was giving him and the way Kris was talking, he thought Kris might still be in love with him.  He knew Kris.  At least he thought he did.  Now it turned out that Kris was engaged to someone else.  Maybe he was just being nice to Anthony in a friend way.  
Anthony tried to think of something to say, but he couldn’t think of anything.  He never knew Bryce very well.  Could Bryce tell he was upset?  He tried to hold it in.  
Then Kris came over.  “Anthony, the girls and I are waiting for you...”  He noticed someone standing by Anthony, someone who he hadn’t thought about since he left Vegas.  “Bryce... what are you doing here?  How did you know I was here?”  
“This was the hotel we always stayed at when we played you guys, I figured this would be the host hotel,” Bryce sleazed.  “I just couldn’t stand the idea of being without you for a few days.”  
What was Kris supposed to say to that?  He and Bryce were sort of dating, but he’d been looking forward to time with Anthony, the girls and his Cubs teammates.  He’d also been hoping some time in Chicago would give him time to think about whether not this was really a good idea.  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Anthony managed to say, trying to hide the hurt and heartbreak from his voice.  
Kris still knew Anthony after all these years.  It was obvious Bryce had said something that upset him.  “Anthony...” Kris began, trying to think of the right thing to say.  
“I’m so happy for you,” Anthony forced himself to say.  He did want Kris to be happy, even if it was with someone else.  
“See?” Bryce said to Kris.  
Meanwhile, the girls wondered why their dads hadn’t come back yet and made their way back to the check-in counter.  Both girls felt like they were going to throw up when they saw Bryce.  Why was he here?  
“Hi Bryce,” Amanda said, walking up to one side.  
“Hi Chloe,” Bryce gritted through his teeth.  
“What brought you to Chicago?” Chloe asked, going up to Bryce’s other side.  
Bryce jumped and looked from one side to the other.  
“Um, Bryce, did I ever tell you Chloe was a twin?” Kris asked, knowing he hadn’t.  
Bryce glared at Kris.  “No, you never did.”  
“Don’t worry, he never told me, either,” Chloe said.  “By the way, I’m the real Chloe Bryant.  This is my twin sister, Amanda Rizzo.”  
“Rizzo?” Bryce gasped.  He looked at Anthony.  “Oh no.”  
“Yeah, he’s our other father,” Amanda said.  “I was living with him and Chloe was living with Kris, and then when we met at camp, I decided to pretend to be Chloe and she decided to pretend to be me.”  
“I see,” Bryce snarled, looking from the girls to Anthony.    
“I’m surprised you’re here,” Amanda continued.  “You were never on the Cubs.”  
“And if I recall correctly, the Nationals have never even won the World Series,” Chloe added.  “I think this weekend’s event is for World Series champions.”  
“Girls,” Anthony scolded.  He was hurt by this new piece of information, but the girls weren’t making things any better by being rude to Bryce.  
“She has a point,” Amanda said.  She got out her phone.  “Let’s go through all the teams that have won the World Series since then.  2016: Cubs.  2017: Astros.  2018: Indians.  2019: Dodgers.  2020: Phillies.  2021: Braves.  2022: Brewers.  2023: Blue Jays.  2024: Orioles.  2025: Rockies.  2026: Tigers.  2027: Rangers.  2028: Mariners.  2029: Pirates.  2030: Reds.  2031: Twins.  2032: Rays.  2033: Athletics.  2024: Angels. 2025: Dbacks.”  
“Amanda, was that necessary?” Anthony sighed.  He just wanted to get to his room and process what he’d heard.  
“Yes,” both girls said.  
“I think I should probably get to my room and unpack,” Anthony said.  He turned to Kris.  “I’ll see you when festivities start.”  He’d been so excited to spend time with Kris this week, but now that he knew Kris was engaged, he had a feeling this was going to be a painful weekend.  Clearly, Amanda wanted time with Kris and Chloe, but now Anthony just wanted to go back to Florida.  
“What about dinner tonight?” Chloe protested.  
“Maybe that’s not a good idea,” Anthony sighed.  He’d loved the idea of dinner with Kris and the girls, but Bryce probably didn’t want his fiance going out to dinner with his ex-husband.  
“Anthony!” Kris protested.  He’d wanted to go to dinner with Anthony and the girls.  
“Kris, like I told you, I’m so, so happy for you,” Anthony repeated.  “I really am.  Please, if it’s not uncomfortable, I’d love to come, and I’m sure Amanda would want to come as well.  Let me know when you set a date.”  Unable to face Kris, he grabbed his suitcase and walked to the elevator as quickly as he could.

Kris had a feeling Bryce had said something to make Anthony uncomfortable.  Then Anthony’s last words hit him.  “Let me know when you set a date?” he repeated, turning to Bryce as the girls ran after Anthony.  
“Well, I kind of told him I proposed to you,” Bryce said nonchalantly.  
Kris felt anger building up.  “Bryce!  I did not say yes!  I told you, I don’t feel ready to take that step.”  
“You just didn’t want to upset Chloe, or should I say, Amanda,” Bryce shot back.  “Well, since Amanda’s going to go back with Anthony, maybe Chloe won’t mind us getting married.”  
“You told him we were getting married?” Kris tried to hide his disgust and anger.  How could Bryce do that to Anthony?  “What the hell, Bryce?”  
“You know you want it,” Bryce said.  “If he hadn’t been in the way, we probably would have gotten together in the MLB days.  I’ve wanted to marry you since we were kids.”  
“Do you realize how crazy you sound?” Kris interrupted.  “I think you upset him.”  
“He’s a big boy, he can handle it,” Bryce dismissed.  “Let’s go up to my room.”  
“I’m going to go see if he’s okay,” Kris said.  “And go find the girls.”  He walked away from Bryce, not wanting to face him.  He always hated to see Anthony hurt, especially over something that wasn’t actually happening.

“What the hell was that?” Chloe asked as she and Amanda followed Anthony into the elevator.  
“Girls, you could have told me about him,” Anthony tried to think of the right words.  Should he reveal to the girls that he still loved Kris?  Or did they already know?  They seemed to.  He tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t give it away.  “He’s your father, if he’s with someone, I would want to know, because that someone would be part of your lives.”  
“It’s obvious he still loves you,” Amanda sighed.  
“No, it’s clear he loves someone else,” Anthony interrupted.  “I had a feeling you girls wanted us to get back together...”  That was what he’d come here hoping for too.  “That isn’t going to happen, clearly, so I want you girls to be happy for your father and his new husband.”


	13. Dinner at Wrigley

“That isn’t going to happen, clearly, so I want you girls to be happy for your father and his new husband.”  
The girls exchanged a horrified glance. “New husband?” Chloe gasped. She knew Kris had said no. Amanda knew Chloe had said no.  
Anthony tried to hold in his disgust while not giving it away to the girls that he wanted to break down. “I want your father to be happy, and you girls should, too. I’m going to work something out with him so that we can both see both of you and so you two can see each other more...”  
“What did he tell you?” Amanda asked.  
“Bryce told me that he asked Kris to marry him,” Anthony sighed, feeling sick to his stomach.  
“The fucking asshole,” Amanda snapped. How could Bryce have done that? He’d lied  
“I didn’t know you had that in you,” Chloe smirked, high fiving her sister. The elevator stopped. “Just let us take care of things. We’re going back downstairs.” Her phone went off with a text from Kris, asking for Anthony’s room number. Deciding not to tell Anthony, she replied to the text.  
“What are you girls doing?” Anthony asked. He didn’t like the idea of Kris marrying someone else, but he also knew that if the girls tried to interfere, it wouldn’t end well for anyone.  
“Oh, you’ll see,” Chloe said, not knowing and also knowing Amanda didn’t know. All both girls knew was they had to give Bryce a piece of their minds. Not waiting for Anthony to discourage them, Chloe grabbed her sister’s hand as the girls began to take off.

“Where is that bastard?” Chloe snapped as the girls ran down the stairs.  
“I don’t know, but how could he do that?” Amanda shot back. “He knows, doesn’t he? He knows that they still love each other!”  
“It’s clear to anyone!” Chloe said. “Except they can’t tell, apparently.”  
“Yeah,” Amanda agreed.  
The girls got downstairs and went to the hotel’s restaurant. Bryce wasn’t there, but several of the guys from their dads’ team were. Maybe they could help.  
The guys seemed to notice the girls immediately. “It’s the Bryzzo girls!” Jon Lester said, noticing the girls’ arrival. “Where are your dads?”  
“We were filling them in on what Bryce pulled in Vegas,” Dexter added.  
“Well, that’s not all Bryce pulled,” Amanda groaned. “He showed up here in Chicago and told Anthony that he and Kris are engaged.”  
“That man is insane,” Chloe added. “I think he knows what we all know and what our dads are in denial about.”  
“Why do you think we all told your dads to send you to the same camp?” Jason asked.  
“Well, we’re at a bit of a loss,” Amanda admitted. “Anthony thinks that Kris is engaged.”  
“We’ll help you girls figure something out,” Jake Arrieta said.  
“We need to trap them in a romantic space, somewhere where they can’t help but fall in love again,” Amanda thought out loud. “You guys know Chicago better than we do.”  
“Uh, how can you not think of the perfect place?” Chloe interrupted. “Could one of you guys text David and see if we can get them alone in Wrigley together?”  
“YES!” Amanda cheered.  
“Yeah, of course,” Javi said, getting out his phone. “Don’t worry. We’ll all have gotten rid of Bryce by the end of the week.”

Kris was so angry at Bryce for telling Anthony that he was engaged. If only Bryce knew the reason why he had said no. Luckily, Chloe had given him Anthony’s room number, so he knocked on the door. “Anthony, it’s Kris, can I come in?”  
Kris had been Anthony’s best friend before they fell in love. Of course he should be happy for him. He could put aside his pain for a little. He opened the door. “Hey.”  
“Hey,” Kris said, coming into the room. His eyes fell on one of the two queen sized beds. How much he would love to be in that bed with Anthony. It had really been too long. “It’s really nice to see you again,” he managed to say.  
“Yeah, it’s really nice to see you too,” Anthony said. He figured he’d get to it. “Kris, like I told you earlier, I’m really, really happy for you.”  
“I’m not engaged,” Kris interrupted. “Yes, Bryce asked me to marry him, but I said no. I don’t know why he told you that.”  
“What?” Anthony gasped. He tried to hide his relief. Kris wasn’t engaged? Maybe there still was hope.  
“We were sort of dating this summer,” Kris admitted. “I didn’t feel ready to get engaged.” He tried not to give away his feelings.  
Anthony tried not to let himself get hopeful, but now he was even more hopeful. “Why not?”  
Because Kris still loved Anthony. “I just don’t know how I feel about him.”  
If Kris didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine. The thought of the man Anthony still loved being with someone else was a very unpleasant one. “Well, you know what’s best for you. I’ll support you no matter what you do.”  
“I’ve missed you,” Kris admitted.  
“I miss you too,” Anthony said, relieved Kris had said it first. “We’ll need to work out something for the girls to see each other and to see us more, but we should see each other more, too.”  
Kris was glad Anthony had suggested that. “Yeah, I’d like that.” The girls. The thought of saying goodbye to Amanda again broke his heart. “What do you think we should do about the girls?”  
Anthony really didn’t want to have to go for months without seeing Chloe, or without the girls seeing each other. But he knew that things had been established. “Do you have Chloe’s school schedule? We can look at their schedule and find long weekends to coordinate times for them to come visit each other. I know they both want to go back to camp, maybe the four of us could take a vacation together during the holidays...” This didn’t sound good at all.  
“I don’t think that’s what they want,” Kris managed to say, not saying that this wasn’t what he wanted either.  
This wasn’t what Anthony wanted, either. “Of course that’s not what they want. They want the four of us to be a family. All kids with divorced parents want that.”  
Kris began to think rationally. “Yeah, we both have lives. The girls both have lives on opposite sides of the country.”  
“But the girls really love each other, and we really love both the girls,” Anthony sighed.  
The conversations were interrupted when there was a knock on the door. “Can we come in?” Chloe’s voice said.  
“Of course,” Kris said, knowing this conversation wasn’t over.  
The girls came into the room with big smiles on their faces. Their smiles got bigger when they saw Anthony and Kris sitting on the bed, inches from each other. “So, you told him you’re not engaged?” Chloe asked bluntly.  
“Yeah,” Kris said.  
“Good,” Amanda said. “Actually, the two of us set something up for this evening.”  
Anthony and Kris were caught off guard. “Really?” Anthony asked.  
“Yeah,” Chloe said simply.  
“And what did you two have in mind?” Kris asked.  
“You’ll see,” Amanda said.  
“You’re not going to give us any hints?” Anthony asked.  
“Don’t be difficult,” Chloe pouted. “Trust us though, you’ll love it.”

A little while later, the fathers and daughters were riding in a limo from the hotel around Chicago. Neither Kris nor Anthony could think of the right things to say. Both girls were being very quiet, though they kept giving each other sneaky smiles. Finally the limo stopped.  
Anthony and Kris’s hearts both stopped when they saw where they were.  
They were at Wrigley.  
“This is where we’re having dinner tonight?” Anthony asked. This was such a special place. A place with so many memories and so many emotions. He knew that they’d be here later this week, but seeing the park again brought tears to his eyes.  
“Yup,” Amanda said proudly. “Look at the sign.”  
Sure enough the light up sign outside the park read, “Welcome Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.”  
“How did you girls do this?” Kris asked, taking in the scene. Wrigley. He’d seen it on TV through the years, but seeing it in person was completely different. So many memories came back. The first time he played there, the first time he got a hit, the first time he got a run and of course the wins in the NLDS, NLCS and the Game 5 win back in 2016 that meant returning to Cleveland to break the drought. And of course all the times he and Anthony had shared special moments on that field. It was so much. Too much.  
“Shall we go in?” Chloe asked.  
“Yeah, let’s go in,” Kris said, his voice breaking. He forced a smile at Anthony, who smiled back.  
“How did you girls pull this off?” Anthony asked. The sign had caught him completely off guard.  
“We had some help,” Amanda said. The girls led their fathers into the lit up stadium. It looked so strange with no one there this late at night. A slideshow of photos from the 2016 season was playing on the jumbotron. Maybe a technical person was getting ready for the reunion.  
As the family (could they call themselves that?) got closer to the field, Anthony and Kris noticed something. A picnic blanket was on the pitcher’s mound set for two. “Girls...” Anthony began.  
“This is where we leave you,” Amanda said, smiling at Chloe.  
“You’re not joining us?” Kris asked.  
“Yeah, it would have been nice for all four of us to have dinner together,” Anthony added.  
“We can do that later this week,” Chloe said. “Enjoy your meal.” The girls left the field, leaving their fathers alone.  
Anthony smiled at Kris. “Shall we go have our dinner?”  
“Yeah,” Kris said. They sat on the blanket and took the lids off their plates, revealing the same food they’d had on their first date. “Do you think they know?” Kris asked.  
“Probably,” Anthony laughed. He picked up his champagne glass. “Here’s to -”  
Kris picked up his glass that was filled with sparkling cider. “Our daughters.”  
“Our daughters,” Anthony agreed, clinking the glasses together. “So, I heard someone has coached a baseball team in Nevada to the state championship ten years in a row.”  
“Our first baseman is #44,” Kris said. He hadn’t been surprised that he’d chosen that number.  
“I know,” Anthony admitted. “I found a way to watch the game. I couldn’t see you on the stream, but I was rooting for you guys.”  
“Yeah, really,” Kris said. “And your charity is doing amazing work. I’ve read about some of the things you do for those kids.”  
“It’s the least I can do,” Anthony said.  
For the next few hours, Anthony and Kris were able to talk comfortably with each other, catching each other on their lives over the past 13 years, as well as sharing stories about the girls (including the ones the girls probably didn’t want shared) and about their families. Both of them were surprised by how well it was going. They’d been talking so long that when the clock struck one, they were caught a bit off guard. “Wow,” Kris said.  
“Yeah, wow,” Anthony said. He didn’t want to leave. He just wanted to stay here in this field, just him and Kris but with the girls as well. It felt like time had stopped and the world had frozen.  
“What sort of mischief do you think the girls are up to?” Kris asked. “I’m sure they’re still awake.”  
“Oh, I’m sure they are,” Anthony said. “Neither of us got phone calls, so that means no damage has been done.”  
“We should probably get back to the hotel and check on them,” Kris said. He wished instead, the girls could just come here and the four of them could stay in the field, just the four of them, forever.  
“But how are we supposed to get the field locked up?” Anthony asked. “The girls said they had some help.  
“How was dinner?” a voice asked. Kris and Anthony turned to see the guys from the team in 2016 coming on to the field. “We were all watching the game tonight in the club room,” Javi said. “Don’t worry, we made sure the girls got back safely to the hotel.”  
“They said they were going to order room service for dinner,” Wilson Contreras added.  
“Of course they did,” Kris grumbled. “Wait? You guys helped them out with this?”  
“Oh yeah,” Albert Almora said. “They thought it would be nice for you to catch up, and since we know more about the logistics of this place than they do, we figured we’d stick around to lock up the place.”  
“It’s been twenty years since all of us were together,” Anthony noted. This had been the closest group he’d ever been part of and it was so nice to see everyone again.  
“I missed you guys,” Kris said.  
“We missed you two ten years ago,” Ben Zobrist said.  
“I was worried it would be uncomfortable, but I guess I was worried for nothing,” Anthony said, smiling at Kris.  
“If I’d known, I would have been there for sure,” Kris added.  
Neither of them took their eyes off each other to notice the smiles the guys were giving each other. They were too busy looking into each other’s eyes, resisting the urge to kiss.


	14. Same Bed

The evening had gone by too fast. Being alone in Wrigley for hours had brought back so many memories. Now it was almost two in the morning. Kris entered his hotel room after saying good night to Anthony, already impatient to see him the next morning. When he first entered the suite, he saw that the girls had left their room service dishes on the coffee table in the living room. Of course they had. It also looked like there had been more than one course to the meal. Again, of course.  
He then entered the bedroom and saw the girls asleep in one of the two queen sized beds. The father in him was glad to see they hadn’t stayed up too late, but his heart warmed at seeing them in bed together. That’s how it would have been if the four of them had taken family vacations, him and Anthony in one bed, the girls in the other. He walked over to the girls, not wanting to wake them up, but gently kissing them each good night.  
“Hi Dad,” Chloe muttered.  
“I’m sorry,” Kris whispered. “I didn’t want to wake you up. I know it’s been a long day.” He looked over at Amanda, who still seemed to be asleep. “Did you and your sister have a nice night?”  
“Mhm,” Chloe whispered. “Did you and Daddy?”  
“Yeah,” Kris said, knowing nice didn’t even begin to cover it. “We did.”  
“He’s so amazing,” Chloe sighed.  
What was Kris supposed to say to that. “I know. I know.” Trying to control his emotions, he went to the dresser to get his pajamas and started to plug in his phone. There was a text from Anthony, asking Kris if he knew where the girls were. Kris texted back that the girls were both in his room. Glancing over, it looked like Chloe had drifted back to sleep. He sent Anthony another text, telling him that the girls seemed pretty tired and he thought it was for the best for them to just both stay here tonight.

When Anthony got Kris’s text that both the girls were in Kris’s room and had fallen asleep, his thoughts turned to the family vacations the four of them never got to take. His heart warmed knowing that the girls clearly had a special bond and had probably had some fun together that night, just as their fathers had. He and Kris had said good night to each other less than half an hour ago and he already found himself missing his ex-husband. He also found himself missing his daughters and felt a slight sense of envy that Kris would get a night with both of them and he wouldn’t. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. It was crazy, but it might work. He sent a quick text to Kris, “Can I come check on the girls?”  
“Of course,” Kris texted back.  
Anthony sighed with relief as he walked to Kris’s room. When he arrived and saw his ex-husband, his heart fluttered again. After all these years, those beautiful blue eyes and that smile still gave him jitters. “Hello again.”  
“Hello yourself,” Kris said. “What are you holding?”  
Anthony tried to think of the right thing to say. “I know this is going to sound crazy, and you can say no, but could I maybe sleep here tonight? I’ve missed the girls...” And you, he wanted to add.  
Kris loved that idea. He’d missed Anthony like crazy and it hadn’t even been an hour. “Of course you can, come on in. You might want to check on the girls, too. It’s clear they’re both pretty tired.” He decided not to tell him what Chloe had said, but he was definitely thinking that.  
“Thank you,” Anthony whispered. He followed Kris into the bedroom and gently kissed his daughters. “Our baby girls together,” he mumbled, taking in the sight.  
“Yeah,” Kris said, putting his hand on Anthony’s shoulder.  
“So, I guess I’ll unfold your couch,” Anthony began.  
“No,” Kris interrupted. That wasn’t what he wanted. “I want you to be comfortable.”  
“Well, there are only two beds,” Anthony protested. Would Kris be comfortable sleeping in the same bed after all these years?  
Both Anthony and Kris fell silent, but by looking in each other’s eyes, they both knew what the other one was thinking. They smiled wide at each other as Kris pulled the covers off his bed, patting one side for Anthony to lie down on. Anthony turned off the light as he moved closer to Kris. “I missed you so much.”  
“I missed you too,” Kris mumbled. After all these years, being in bed together still felt so right. He reached across the bed to take Anthony’s hand. “I’m so, so sorry about that night.”  
“I should have come after you,” Anthony whispered, holding Kris’s hand. He let Kris hear what he’d been thinking all these years. “Not coming after you had always been my biggest regret and I’ve never, ever stopped missing you or feeling sad that things ended the way they did.”  
“I’m the one who ran out,” Kris sighed. “That was the biggest mistake I ever made. Why couldn’t I have just tried to talk to you like a reasonable adult? We were arguing over a messy apartment.”  
“I don’t know why it all fell apart so quickly,” Anthony admitted. “We were just entering the post baseball world and we were in a bit over our heads. We both made mistakes.”  
“Yeah,” Kris agreed. He had so many regrets and it was obvious by now that Anthony did, too.

The light was coming into the room through the curtains as Amanda opened her eyes. At first, she forgot where she was, but when she saw her sister sleeping in the bed beside her, she remembered. They were in Chicago for the Cubs 20 year reunion. Yesterday had been the first day of her life she’d spent with her sister and both her fathers, and what a day it had been. While Anthony and Kris went to dinner at Wrigley, Amanda and Chloe had talked about how clear it was that they were still in love and speculated on what would happen that night. They’d waited and waited for their dads to get back, but eventually they just got too tired and fell asleep. Amanda looked at the clock. It was after ten in the morning. Then she looked at the other bed in the hotel room and her eyes nearly popped out of her head.  
Kris and Anthony were both in the bed, sleeping close to each other. Amanda nudged Chloe. “Chloe! Get up!” she whispered, wanting her sister to see this before their dads woke up.  
Chloe awoke to the sound of her sister’s voice. When she saw the giddy look on Amanda’s face, she knew this was big. “Look!” Amanda whispered.  
Chloe sat up and looked across the room, taking in the sight of their fathers in bed together. “Oh my God! Look how close to each other they are!”  
“I know right?” Amanda giggled. She got out her phone and took a picture. “I’m sending this to the guys.”  
“YES!” Chloe cheered quietly. “Our plan is actually working.”

Kris could hear quiet, inaudible whispers in the hotel room. The girls were up, apparently. He began to feel panicky. Had the girls seen him and Anthony in bed together? What would they think of that? Sure enough, he looked across the room and saw the girls giggling. “Good morning, ladies.”  
“Good morning, Dad,” Amanda said. “Did you and Daddy have fun last night?”  
“Yes, we had a very nice dinner and it was lovely to catch up,” Kris said, noticing the movement as Anthony, too, was waking up.  
Anthony looked over at Kris next to him, realizing it all wasn’t a dream. “Good morning, Kris.” He looked over at the other bed. “Good morning, girls.”  
“Good morning, Daddy,” Amanda said. “Dad was just telling us about last night.”  
“Yeah, we told each other some of your finest moments, too,” Kris said, hoping to get the girls’ focus off the romantic side of things.  
“Oh no,” Chloe gasped, thinking she knew what was coming.  
“Yes, Chloe, I told him about the time you put dish soap in the dishwasher and it flooded all over the kitchen,” Kris teased his daughter.  
“You did not!” Chloe gasped.  
“Oh yes he did!” Anthony shot back. “And don’t think you’re off the hook, Amanda. Remember the first time you tried to do laundry and put the bleach in with the colored clothes, too? Now he does!”  
“You did that?” Chloe gasped. “Good thing none of my clothes were in there!”  
“Oh my God,” Amanda gasped. “Daddy!”  
“We’re your dads, it’s our job to embarrass you,” Kris said. “And now you have two of us to do it.” Those words had just come out.  
“And two of us to scare the boys off,” Anthony added, also just letting that come off. “So, do you girls want to go get some breakfast? You remember we’re going to show you around Chicago today.”  
Kris checked his phone to see if breakfast was still being served. If they got down, it would be. However, that wasn’t the only thing on his phone. His phone was blowing up with texts from Bryce. He hadn’t thought about Bryce since he and Anthony walked into Wrigley last night. And if he was this annoyed to get texts from Bryce, that was a sign.  
Anthony noticed the annoyed look on Kris’s face. “Are you okay?” he asked.  
“Yeah,” Kris said, knowing Anthony probably wasn’t convinced. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast. All four of us.”


	15. Reunion

Since the girls were awake, neither Anthony nor Kris could say anything about how they’d slept in the same bed the previous night.  Neither of the girls had said anything, but both men knew their daughters knew.  The girls had both been awake before they were.  
As the family (could they be called that?) sat down at the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast, the waiter immediately got excited.  “Kris Bryant!  Anthony Rizzo!  I’m a huge Cubs fan.”  
“Well, thank you,” Kris said, smiling at the waiter.  “You can probably guess we’re in town for the reunion.”  
“Yeah,” the waiter said.  “I’m going to the game where they honor you.  I was in elementary school when you guys won the World Series and it was the first time my parents let me stay up late on a school night.  You guys were my favorite players.”  
“That’s so nice of you,” Anthony said.  
“People still see you as the World Series heroes,” Chloe said as the waiter left.  
“Just like we do,” Amanda added.  
“He’s the one who made the play,” Anthony said.  He appreciated that he was considered instrumental, but it was really all Kris.  
“Well, he’s the one who caught the ball,” Kris said, not realizing how Anthony didn’t realize it was all him.  
Amanda looked at her phone before she handed it to Chloe.  It was full of replies from the guys about Anthony and Kris being in bed together.  Chloe sent a text to Amanda: “They’re going to kill us if they find out you took that picture.”

The week in Chicago had flown by and before anyone knew it, the official reunion festivities were starting.  It had been great for Anthony and Kris to show the girls around Chicago and spend some time with their friends.  The girls had seemed to enjoy Chicago as well.  The best part for Kris and Anthony was getting to spend so much time together. Both their hearts broke at the thought of having only one more day left here to have to say goodbye to each other and one daughter, as well as to all their friends. They'd planned a boat tour of Chicago with the girls tomorrow.  
The game with the award ceremony would be held today, though the team had been at all the games of the weekend series. The 2016 Cubs were waiting backstage to be introduced to the crowd. This game had sold out and there were fans crowded outside the stadium. In fact, this was believed to be the biggest crowd in Wrigleyville since Game 7 back in 2016. Some of the Cubs ownership and some current players had given speeches and now, the 2016 team was about to enter the field with their families.  
"I wish we could all walk out together," Chloe mumbled, saying what both Anthony and Kris were thinking out loud.  
"I know," Kris mumbled. All week, the four of them had slept in the same room. Bryce had been texting him all week, much to his annoyance. Once the week was over, he planned to end it - as much "it" as there was to end. This week, he wanted to focus on spending time with Anthony, the girls and his friends.  
"We've felt like a family all week," Amanda pointed out.  
"We are a family," Anthony said. He couldn't help himself. "Wherever we are, that's never going to change." Was this the wrong thing to say? What would Kris think?  
Kris looked at Anthony, trying to find the right words to say. He felt their daughters' and friends' eyes on them. Before he could say anything, the Cubs' current third baseman, Nick Johnson, came over. "So, I'll be escorting you and your daughter."  
"And I'll be escorting you and yours," the Cubs' current first baseman, Ryan Hansen, said to Anthony. He looked at the girls. "Wow, your daughters look alike."  
What were Anthony and Kris supposed to say to that? The girls looked alike because they were twins. Both of them were both their daughters. And what were the girls themselves supposed to think of that statement?  
"We'll explain it to you guys sometime," Anthony said, not sure if this was a good idea.  
"We all knew it back when we started watching videos of the 2016 Cubs that something was going on between you two!" Nick exclaimed. "So, you two were together and had kids together?"  
"Yes, we were and we did," Kris said, noticing that both Nick and Ryan seemed unfazed.  
"So, we're hoping we can win this year," Ryan said, seeming to notice that Kris and Anthony didn't know what to say when their past was brought up. "We have a great group of guys, but our third base coach and our first base coach are retiring at the end of this year, and we don't know who will replace them."  
"Yeah," Nick added. "We're in first, as I'm sure you know, but who knows about next year? You guys know this is the toughest division, the Brewers, Reds and Pirates are all really good, too. It's just the dumb old Cardinals who suck."  
"This team really reminds me of our team from 2016," Anthony said. "I've been watching you all year."  
"Yeah, me too," Kris said.  
"The 2016 first baseman, Anthony Rizzo, and his daughter, Amanda Rizzo, escorted by 2036 first baseman, Ryan Hansen," the announcer said.  
Anthony stepped on to the field for the first time in years, being greeted by thunderous applause. Fans in the stands were on their feet and the other 2016 players were applauding as well. He looked at the slideshow of the 2016 season that was playing now, remembering the season where he and Kris really recognized their love for each other. He missed those days. He missed playing the game he loved. He missed Chicago. He missed his friends. And he missed spending so much time with Kris. He looked down at Amanda, who gave him a proud smile. He took his daughter's hand as the announcer announced the last player.  
"And finally, the 2016 third baseman and NL MVP, Kris Bryant, and his daughter, Chloe Bryant, escorted by 2036 third baseman, Nick Johnson!" Kris entered the field, holding Chloe's hand. He took his spot next to Anthony in the lineup, figuring it was safe to hug his ex-husband. When they hugged, the crowd burst into applause. It reminded Kris of that hug in Cleveland after that final out at 12:47 a.m. on November 3, 2016.  
The slideshow changed to a video. Kris should have been able to guess what the video was, but at the same time, he wasn't prepared to see what was on the screen. He remembered this moment as if it were yesterday. "Is he a one?" the announcer asked as Mike Montgomery threw the ball and the Cleveland batter hit it. "This is going to be a tough play," the announcer continued as Kris ran to grab the ball. He remembered running, hoping he could get it in time and make history. But he'd gotten it and thrown it, just as he was doing on the screen. He just hoped that day that Anthony would catch it on time."  
"Bryant! The Cubs win the World Series!" the announcer exclaimed as Anthony caught the ball on the screen. Anthony had never wanted to catch a ball so badly. He'd been terrified that he'd miss it. But he'd caught it. And the first thing he wanted to do after he caught that ball was hug Kris. "It's over! And the Cubs have finally won it all! 8-7 in 10!" the announcer said.  
Seeing the video made Anthony want to hug Kris again. He pulled in their daughters to make it a group hug. He didn't know how badly he missed this. How badly he needed all four of them to be a family. He didn't want to have only one day left. He just wished all four of them could stay here, together, forever.

It was already the last morning in Chicago, and Kris, Anthony, Amanda and Chloe were meeting up with some of the guys and their families at the hotel's restaurant before the Bryant/ Rizzo family went out on their boat tour. As the guys were reminiscing about the 2016 World Series and talking about plans for the day, a voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. "Kris."  
Kris turned and saw Bryce. "Bryce..."  
"I flew all the way out to Chicago, and you're not going to spend any time with me?" Bryce demanded.  
"Oh, the schedule has kept everyone pretty busy this week," Dexter said.  
"But aren't the Cubs going to LA now?" Bryce asked. "So, we can spend the day together."  
"No, you can't," Chloe interrupted. "Amanda and I are going on a boat tour with both our dads today and we only have four tickets."  
"Can't you see he wants to spend time with us and with his friends?" Amanda added, not wanting to potentially anger Kris if she mentioned Anthony. "You can see him whenever you want in Vegas." She tried to hold in her disgust.  
Then an idea came to Anthony's mind. "You did come all the way here and I haven't seen lots of these guys in a while. How about you go with Kris and the girls, and I'll hang out with the guys today?"  
What was Anthony doing? Kris didn't like this idea at all. He'd been looking forward to a day with Anthony and the girls. "What? I thought this was supposed to be a day out for us and for the girls."  
Anthony tried to disguise what he had planned and to hold in his disgust. "Well, if Bryce is serious about you, he should get to know the girls better, and this is a good opportunity." He hadn't liked Bryce during their MLB days and Bryce had been a bit rude this week. But he also knew the girls didn't like Bryce and wouldn't be happy about him invading their family time. He'd recognized his true feelings, but what if Kris was still torn? Maybe this could help.  
"Daddy!" Amanda pouted. "This isn't what we planned."  
"Yeah, this isn't what we planned," Kris added. He didn't want to spend the day with Bryce. This week had made him realize that he wanted to be with Anthony and figure something out.  
Anthony glanced at the guys and it was clear some of them knew what he was on to. "Maybe he's right, Kris," Albert said. "This could be an opportunity for the girls to get to know Bryce better."  
"But we want to spend time with both our dads!" Chloe repeated. "And it's about time to go!"  
"Maybe we could get dinner tonight or something," Anthony said.  
Kris didn't feel like arguing. "Well, if you're sure..." He glanced at Anthony, hoping Anthony would end up deciding to come. "We do need to leave soon."  
"I insist," Anthony said. "You'd better get going." After Kris and Bryce left, he nudged the girls. "Have fun!"


	16. Boat Ride

Chloe and Amanda sat on the boat, barely able to listen to the tour guide.  This wasn't the day they'd been hoping for.  On Chloe's other side was Kris and on Kris's other side was Bryce, who kept putting his arm around Kris or trying to hold his hand.  The tour guide finished talking, saying that there was a restaurant on board if anyone wanted lunch and that those aboard could just take in the sights until the boat arrived at the finishing point.  
Kris looked over at his daughters, neither of whom seemed to be having fun.  This hadn't been the day he was hoping for either.  He didn't know why Anthony had insisted Bryce come instead.  Anthony was a good person, so he sort of got why Anthony felt bad that Bryce had come all the way out here.  At the same time, Bryce had chosen to come.  Kris had wanted to spend this week with his daughters, with Anthony, and with his friends.  
As Bryce reached over and put his hand on Kris's thigh, Kris jerked away, turning to face his daughters.  "Girls, I know you wanted your other father to come with us, but let's enjoy the city and this beautiful weather, okay?"  He was talking to himself, not just the girls.  He wanted Anthony here, not Bryce.  
The girls just mumbled something inaudible.  Kris sighed, trying to think of something to lift their spirits.  
"I'll buy lunch," Bryce jumped in.  "What are you girls in the mood for?"  
"I'm not very hungry," Chloe mumbled.  
"Me either," Amanda added.  
Kris was sure at this point, he didn't have a fake smile anymore.  He tried to force a smile.  "Yeah, the boat has a great restaurant on board.  How about we go get some lunch?"  
"Sure," the girls mumbled.  
As Kris and Bryce began to leave, Amanda motioned for Chloe to stop.  "Chloe, this is going all wrong.  We're leaving Chicago tomorrow and it looks like I'm going back to Florida with Daddy and you're going back to Vegas with Dad.  I thought we were making progress.  Come on, they slept in the same bed every night!  And they were giving each other those looks all week and seemed to be having so much fun together."  
"I know," Chloe agreed.  "This is a disaster.  I don't want to stick to our original plan of spending long weekends together."  
"Why is he here today?" Amanda snapped.  "I knew he was bad news from the first day I met him in Vegas."  
"And now that I've met him, I'm sorry that I doubted you," Chloe admitted.  
"I wouldn't mind moving if it meant we'd all get to live together," Amanda said.  "If they're worried about that."  
"Neither would I," Chloe said.  "I mean, we're starting high school, we'll be at different schools than we were last year, anyway."  
The girls tried to think of what to do next as they walked to the restaurant on the boat, where Kris and Bryce had already gotten a table.  "We were wondering where you were," Kris said.  "I was about to come looking for you."  
The girls sat down, not saying anything.  Then the waiter came over and handed out the menus.  "Here are your menus."  He turned to the girls.  "Your dads were waiting for you, ladies."  
"He's not their father," Kris said firmly, bothered by the fact that someone other than him and Anthony was thought to be their father.  If the thought of Bryce being referred to as the girls' father made him cringe like this, that should tell him something.  "They're my daughters."  
The waiter got a confused look.  "Oh, sorry.  You two were acting like a couple..."  He seemed embarrassed, so he began to walk away.  Kris noticed the looks on the girls' faces.  They both looked disgusted.  
Before Kris could say anything, Bryce turned to him.  "What the fuck, Kris?"  
"Well, you aren't their father," Kris said simply.  Why was Bryce upset about Kris stating that simple fact?  He didn't seem to like the girls very much.  He never seemed interested when Kris talked about his daughter.  
Bryce glared at Kris.  The girls both noticed.  "Well, you aren't our father," Chloe said.  
"When we get home, we're both changing our last names to Bryant-Rizzo," Amanda added, wondering what home would be.  
Kris noticed the annoyed look on Bryce's face.  Hoping the day could get better, he simply said, "How about we all look at the menu and pick out some good food for lunch?"

Chloe, Amanda, Kris and Bryce ate lunch in almost complete silence.  The girls weren't happy about the fact that they'd be separated again tomorrow and Kris could tell his daughters weren't happy.  He hoped later today they'd cheer up.  His heart broke at the thought of saying goodbye to Anthony and Amanda.  After lunch, they went back to the deck of the boat.  As they started leaving, Bryce grabbed Kris's arm.  "I'm sorry, Kris, but it has to be said that the girls' attitudes are ruining our day.  Can you tell your daughters to stop pouting?"  
Kris was disappointed that today wasn't the day they had originally planned.  He understood why the girls were upset.  "The girls wanted to spend the day with both their dads.  This is the first time since they were a few months old that they've been in the same city as both of us and with each other.  They're disappointed."  And so was he.  
"Well, it was your ex-husband's idea that I come instead of him, so maybe he's the one they should be pouting at," Bryce pointed out.  
"You were just complaining about the girls, but your attitude isn't very positive, either," Kris pointed out.  
At that statement, Bryce did a 180 and tried to lean in and kiss Kris.  "I'm sorry."  
Kris jerked away.  "Please, we're in a public place.  No PDA."  He walked over to the girls, who were looking over the deck of the boat.  He knew that soon the boat ride would be over, but the fact that today had been a big failure would not be forgotten.  Luckily, the boat would drop them off near the hotel, so they would probably see Anthony soon.  Maybe that would cheer the girls up.  
He looked over at his daughters.  "I'm sorry."  
"Thanks, Dad," Amanda mumbled.  
Kris could tell by the looks on the girls' faces they knew what he was saying he was sorry for.  But Bryce didn't seem happy.  He pouted and leaned against the edge of the boat, a look that could kill on his face.  
The tour guide announced the boat would be pulling into its stopping point in about five minutes.  Suddenly, girls noticed that Bryce was leaning hard against the edge of the boat and could easily fall in.  Suddenly, an idea came to both girls' minds.  When they turned to face each other, both girls could tell her sister had the same idea.  Chloe counted down with her fingers before the girls both pretended to trip, slightly pushing Bryce.  However, the two slight pushes were enough to push Bryce over the rail and into the water.  
Bryce let out a scream as he fell into the water.  The other tourists on the boat turned and gasped, some looking down at Bryce swimming to the land and covered in gross water.  Kris turned and faced the girls.  He tried to give them an angry look, but it was hard to hold in his laughter at the sight of Bryce soaking wet, spitting out water and doggy paddling to the shore.  
"We tripped," Chloe said, trying to give her father the most innocent look she could.  However, she and Amanda couldn't help but giggle.  
"KRIS!" Bryce let out an ear piercing scream, filled with anger.  
The tour guide came over to Kris.  "I'm sorry, my daughters tripped," Kris said.  He was embarrassed enough by the scene that had been caused.  He was pretty sure the girls hadn't tripped.  How likely was it for them both to trip in the same place at the same time? Oh well, he'd talk to them later.  
"Okay," the tour guide said.  "Well, we'll be pulling in soon.  Let us know if he needs anything."  
By the time the boat pulled in, other passengers were still looking at Kris, Chloe and Amanda, some whispering, some laughing.  Kris just wanted to get back to the hotel.  
When they unboarded the boat, Bryce was already waiting at the dock, soaking wet, covered in slime, weeds, sticks, and leaves.  Again, he gave Kris and the girls a nasty look.  
"Are you okay?" Kris asked, giving his daughters a stern look.  The sight of Bryce had sent the girls into a full-blown fit of laughing. They certainly weren't helping things.  
"Do I look okay?" Bryce sneered as he turned to walk toward the hotel.  
"I'm sorry, but it was an accident, they tripped," Kris said as they stood in front of the hotel.  As they arrived at the hotel, Kris's eyes fell on someone else: Anthony.  He was having lunch with Dexter, Kyle, Albert and Willson at the hotel's outdoor restaurant.  At that moment, Anthony was all he saw.  If only Anthony had come instead.  It probably wouldn't have taken Bryce falling off the boat to cheer the girls up.  They could have had a nice day as a family.  
"You really think that was an accident?" Bryce shouted. "It was no accident! Your daughters pushed me off the boat!"  
"What is wrong with you?" Kris demanded.  
"What's wrong with ME?" Bryce snapped.  "Several things are wrong, Kris, but none of them have anything to do with me."  He seemed to also notice Anthony having lunch with the guys at the hotel's outdoor patio a few feet away.  "Let's start off with the fact that HE decided to show up again..."  
Anthony was making his way over.  "Hey, Kris!  Hey, Bryce!  Hi, ladies!  Did you enjoy the boat tour?" he asked.  He could tell that his idea might have worked.  
Bryce glared at Anthony.  "You should take both those brats of yours and Kris's back to Florida with you."  
Anthony could feel anger rising.  No one could insult his daughters and get away with it.  Before he could think of anything to say, Kris spoke.  
"What did you just say?" Kris asked, trying to hold in his anger that the man he was sort of dating was indicating that he didn't want his daughters around.  
Bryce turned to Kris.  "You heard me.  I want to marry you, but I do not want them to live with me, whether it's all the time or even on weekends now and then.  It's bad enough that you won't let me touch you, but I was willing to overlook that.  If we get married, they're going to Florida with Anthony full time.  They've been rude to me since I first showed up and I won't stand for it.  So, Kris, it's your choice: me or them."


	17. Leaving Chicago

There was no question what Kris wanted.  Now he knew what type of person Bryce truly was.  He'd spent the past 14 years doting on one of his daughters and missing the other.  Now he had them both in his life, there was no way he could let them go again.  "Did you really just ask me that?  What sort of person asks a parent to choose ANYTHING OR ANYONE over their own children?"  
"You saw the way she always was annoyed when I came over and how they acted today," Bryce shot back.  "THEY PUSHED ME OFF THE BOAT!  And here you are, defending them?"  
Kris couldn't hold in his anger any longer.  Wondering if this was a mistake, he lifted his hand and slapped Bryce across the face.  "Fuck you, Bryce Harper," he snarled.  "Do not EVER talk that way about my daughters again, do you hear me?  If this is the type of person you are, then not only do I not want to marry you, I do not want to be dating you either.  I wasn't even sure if I was ready for a serious relationship, but you couldn't see that.  Now I know what you're really like."  
Anthony had never seen Kris this angry before, not even on that horrible night all those years ago.  He felt a mixture of pride to see Kris standing up for their family, anger about the things Bryce had said and hurt because he could tell Kris was hurting by the things Bryce said.  
Bryce growled at Kris.  
"Get away from me," Kris snapped.  "Leave me alone.  Leave my daughters alone."  
Bryce gave the group a nasty look before leaving the hotel.  Kris took off, probably for his bedroom.  Anthony thought he would be glad to see Bryce gone, but Kris was noticeably upset.    
"Should one of us go talk to him?" Albert asked.  
"I'll go," Anthony began, trying to find the right things to say.  Sure, on the surface it was weird for him to comfort his ex-husband about a breakup, but nothing had ever really been weird for them.  "I know... I know what to do."  
"Are you sure?" Willson asked.  
"Yeah," Anthony said.  He turned to the girls.  "Let me know what you're doing with the rest of the afternoon."  He went upstairs and knocked on the door of Kris's hotel room.  Well, this room had belonged to all four of them this week, but technically it was Kris's.  "Can I come in?" he called softly.  
Kris sat on his hotel bed, thinking about everything that had happened today, this week, this summer... the past 14 years.  His heart hadn't been in this relationship at all and what he'd done wasn't right.  He'd spent the past 13 years holding on to hope that he could reunite with Anthony and make things right, but he was beginning to fear that wouldn't happen and that he'd have to spend the rest of his life alone.  So he'd said yes when Bryce asked him out.  Now he felt like a horrible person.  His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Anthony's voice.  "Yeah, come on in."  Tomorrow he'd have to say goodbye to Anthony and to Amanda.  Again.  His heart was broken.  
Anthony saw Kris looking defeated while sitting on the hotel bed.  He'd never seen a look like that on his face before.  He went in and sat next to his ex-husband.  He wanted to hug him, but maybe that would be a bad idea.  So he simply rubbed his back.  "You okay?"  
Anthony's touch automatically made Kris feel a bit better.  "Yeah.  My heart wasn't in it, but I feel bad about what I've done.  I shouldn't have stayed with him."  He didn't think it would be a good idea to talk to Anthony about his fear of ending up alone.  
Anthony could relate.  "I get it."  He hadn't had a serious relationship since he and Kris got divorced.  He'd tried, but he knew every time that this wasn't what he wanted.  He wanted to be with Kris.  Now he'd finally met Kris and Chloe again but would have to say goodbye to them tomorrow.   
"Thank you," Kris whispered, putting his hand on Anthony's thigh.  
Anthony gave Kris a small smile as he put his hand on top of his ex-husband's.  As he looked into those beautiful blue eyes, he was tempted to lean in and kiss, but he knew that wasn't a good idea.  After all, Kris had just broken up with his boyfriend.  "No one can talk that way about our girls," Anthony said firmly.  
Kris managed a real smile.  "That's right."  
After a few more moments of silence, Anthony and Kris found themselves looking into each other's eyes again.  Kris was surprised, and at the same time wasn't, that after all these years, Anthony's mere presence could help him feel better.  He rubbed Anthony's hand, feeling the urge to kiss his ex-husband.  
"Want to go join the girls and our friends?" Anthony asked.  He was becoming too tempted to get physical and after what happened, that wouldn't be a good idea.  
"Yeah, let's," Kris agreed.  
There was a knock on the door and the two girls came in.  "You okay?" Chloe asked Kris as they stepped in.  "Need us to play some more pranks on him?"  
Kris managed a small laugh.  "I'll be fine, girls."  He smiled at Anthony, knowing talking with him had really helped him feel better.  
The girls noticed the looks their fathers were giving each other.  But was it too little, too late?  "We're going to the hotel pool with the guys, if you'd like to join us," Amanda said.  
"We'd love that," Anthony said.  
The girls went over to hug Kris, and then Kris pulled Anthony in to make it a group hug.  All four of them had come to love the family feel they'd had this week and all four were devastated that they'd be split up again tomorrow.

The sky was dark and cloudy and the weather was chilly for August as the cab pulled into O'Hare.  It was as if someone out there knew how depressing today was.  The girls walked hand in hand ahead of their fathers, both avoiding eye contact, afraid that if they looked at each other they'd be even more upset about what was happening today.  
When the fathers caught up with the daughters, Anthony finally had the heart to look at Kris.  "I see check-in starts for your flight in a few minutes."  He was hoping for a delay so they'd get more time together.  
"Half an hour for you," Kris sighed.  Both men's eyes fell on their daughters, both of whom looked ready to break down and cry.  Why had they just decided on visits?  They both wanted to try to start over again.  
Knowing he had to check in soon for his flight, Kris pulled Amanda into the biggest hug he could imagine.  "I love you so much. Thank you so much for coming to visit me."  
"I love you too, Dad," Amanda said, her voice cracking.  
"I love you too," Kris repeated, tightening the hug, kissing his daughter and glancing over her shoulder to see Anthony and Chloe in a similar exchange.  
"I'm so glad I finally got to meet you," Anthony said softly as he held Chloe close.  "I love you so, so much.  And I can't wait to see you when you come for that long weekend."  
"I love you too," Chloe said, feeling tears coming to her eyes.  "I'm going to miss you so much."  
Those words broke Anthony's heart.  He'd missed her so much for so long.  Now she was leaving again.  "I'm going to miss you too.  Remember, it won't be too long before I see you again, and you can call and text me as often as you want."  
When the fathers released their daughters, the girls turned to face each other.  The fathers watched the girls, their hearts breaking at their daughters' obvious sadness.  Both girls now had tears running down their faces as they threw their arms around each other.  
After a few moments, Kris gently pulled Chloe away and Anthony did the same thing with Amanda.  Finally, they faced each other, realizing that this week, the past didn't matter anymore.  They'd proven to each other that they weren't the people who gotten into that fight all those years ago and both sat around waiting for the other to do something.  Both of them wanted to cry, but they had to be strong for their daughters, who had embraced each other again.  
"I'm really glad we got to spend the week together," Anthony said, struggling to find the right words to say.  
"So am I," Kris said.  "I missed you so much."  
"I miss you too," Anthony said.  "I spent the past 13 years missing you."  
Hearing those words made Kris's heart skip a beat.  "I..."  I never stopped loving you?  Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say.  "Can I hug you?"  
"Of course," Anthony said softly, wrapping his arms around his ex-husband.  How long would it be before they saw each other again?  
"Flight 420 to Vegas boarding," the announcement came over the loudspeaker.  
Anthony and Kris forced themselves to pull apart before they each gave the daughter who wouldn't be going home with them one last quick hug and kiss.  Then Kris took Chloe's hand and led her down the gateway as Anthony and Amanda watched.  Kris and Chloe kept glancing over their shoulders until they were out of sight.  
Amanda started crying again.  As Anthony wrapped his daughter in a tight hug, he found himself getting angry.  He'd let the man he loved go.  Again.


	18. Second Chance

Anthony held Amanda for a few minutes, staring at the gate, wishing that Kris would come back out.  After a few minutes, Amanda pulled away and looked up at her father.  "We should probably get checked in, too.  Our flight leaves soon."  
"Yeah," Anthony said, not knowing what to say.  He saw that his daughter still had tears in her eyes.  Of course she did.  She was separated from her other father and her sister again.  He'd never seen her looking this sad and it broke his heart.  He felt like breaking down himself.  
As Amanda began to walk toward the Delta gates, Anthony couldn't bring himself to move.  Yeah, they had a flight to catch, but he wasn't going to let Kris go again.  He couldn't.  
He and Amanda needed to get on a plane to Vegas.  He had to go there, tell Kris that he still loved him and that he regretted not coming after him all those years ago, and tell him that he wanted to start over.  Maybe Kris would say no.  That would break Anthony's heart.  If he said no, at least he'd know he tried.  
Amanda turned and looked at her father.  "Are you coming?"  She didn't want to go home without Kris and Chloe, but she figured that she might as well get it out of the way.  She wished they could all stay in Chicago forever.  Except for Bryce's antics, this had been the best week of her life.  
"We need to go to Vegas," Anthony blurted out.  
Amanda squealed.  "We're going to follow them?!"  
"I need to go tell your other father that I still love him and that I want us to be together and for all four of us to be a family," Anthony continued.  "When you and Chloe were babies, your father and I got into a bad argument and he left and I always regretted not running after him.  I'm not making that mistake again."  
Amanda took in her father's words.  She dropped her suitcase and ran up to hug him.  "We're really going to do that?"  
"We really are," Anthony said.  He was feeling a bit nervous, but at the same time, he had a good feeling.  "Come on, let's go see when the next flight to Vegas is."

Chloe had been almost completely silent on the flight from Chicago to Vegas.  This was very unlike her, but Kris knew why she was being quiet.  She was upset.  He was too.  Wondering if she was angry, Kris reached over and took his daughter's hand, wondering if she would push his hand away or something.  But she squeezed his hand and looked over at him.  
"You know, Amanda and I both wouldn't mind moving if it meant all four of us could be together," Chloe told Kris.  Maybe it was too late, but she had to say it.  "We were going to go to different schools anyway since we're starting high school.  I'm sure we could make friends, and even if we couldn't, we'd have each other and both our dads."  
Hearing those words made Kris's heart swell.  He and Anthony had said when they talked that the girls had lives in Vegas and in Florida, but it turned out what mattered most to the girls was the family being together.  "I know," Kris said, putting his arm around his daughter.  "I know this isn't what you wanted."  He gulped.  "This isn't what I wanted either."  
It had finally been confirmed.  Chloe was going to text Amanda when she got home.  Kris had admitted that he still loved Anthony.  "So, you still love him."  
There was no point in keeping it in.  "Yes, I don't think I'll ever stop loving him."  
"So why aren't all four of us together?" Chloe demanded.  
Kris tried to think of an answer.  There was no right answer.  "Maybe we'll figure something out.  I don't know.  I'm sorry."  It was all worthless.  He hated this.  
Chloe was quiet during the rest of the plane ride.  She didn't feel like arguing with her father.  It would only make things worse.  She stayed quiet when the plane landed and on the drive home.  She got out her phone to text Amanda and let her know the plane had landed, just as they'd promised each other they'd do.  
Kris hated seeing her so upset.  "How about we watch a movie or something?"  
Chloe shrugged indifferently.  
"It's good to have you home," Kris said, hoping to lift her spirits.  
"It's nice to be home," Chloe admitted.  This was the longest she'd gone without being at home and she had to admit, it was nice seeing her house again.  She managed a small smile.  
"I'll go get us some water while you pick out a movie," Kris told Chloe, giving her a quick hug.  A little while later, the father and daughter took a seat on the couch to watch a movie.  After about half an hour, the doorbell rang.  Kris didn't feel like seeing people now, but he figured he'd go and peak through the window.  
His heart skipped a beat when he saw Anthony and Amanda standing on the front porch.  Was he hallucinating?  Was he delusional?  He opened the door to face his ex-husband and his other daughter.  
Amanda gave Kris a big hug as soon as he opened the door.  Kris hugged Amanda and looked over at Anthony.  "Hi," he managed.  
"Hi," Anthony said, struggling to figure out what to say.  He'd thrown this plan together with no real plan.  
"Want to come in?" Kris asked, not knowing what else to say.  
Anthony decided to be direct as he and Amanda made their way in.  "You know, 13 years ago, when you ran out of our apartment, I regretted not running after you, not calling you, not telling you how much you mean to me, not telling you that I love you and that I believed we could work through this.  I regretted not calling you.  I lost you once and I don't want to lose you again."  
Chloe was sure that she was playing tricks on herself when she thought she heard her other father's voice.  When she went into the front hall and saw Anthony and Amanda, it felt like a huge burden had been lifted.  She ran to hug both Amanda and Anthony.  
The fathers looked at their daughters, whose faces had lit up.  Kris was still processing what Anthony had said.  "You really feel that way?"  
"Yeah," Anthony said, feeling a lump rising in his throat.  "I love you.  I always have and I always will.  I want us to be together.  Maybe we should take it slow at first but I can't let you go again.  I can't let Chloe go again."  
Kris moved closer to Anthony.  "I love you too."  He'd finally heard it and now he'd finally said it.  "I really want it to work.  I really want to try things again."  
"Really?" Anthony asked.  
"Really," Kris confirmed.  
Neither of them knew what to say now. They just stared at each other with the biggest smiles on their faces and with tears in their eyes before they both leaned in and kissed for the first time in 14 years. Those kisses felt even better than they'd remembered and they both deepened the kisses. Time had stopped and it was just them here in this moment.  
Their daughters stood to the side, watching and giggling as they pulled each other in for a hug. "Oh my God, Amanda, we actually pulled it off!" Chloe squealed.


	19. Happily Ever After

"And now, the guests of honor, the grooms, husband and husband, Kristopher and Anthony Bryant-Rizzo!"  
The wedding guests broke into applause as Chloe and Amanda opened the doors to the reception hall and the grooms entered. It had been two years since Kris and Anthony had gotten back together and they couldn't be happier.  The family had moved to Chicago in fall of 2036, where Kris and Anthony had taken positions with the Cubs and Anthony continued to do his charity work.  In 2037, they joined the coaching staff, coaching at the positions they'd played.  The World Series had returned to Chicago in 2037 with both teams playing, but the White Sox had taken the crown.  A few weeks ago, however, the Cubs had swept the Red Sox in the 2038 World Series, and everyone was thrilled that they'd only had to wait 22 years for another title instead of 108.  
Once again, Anthony and Kris had proposed to each other on the same day.  The girls were aware that both their fathers had been planning proposals for the same day and decided to let it happen.  The family had traveled to New York to see the ball drop in Times Square and ring in 2038, and after the ball dropped, Anthony had gotten down on one knee, only for Kris to reach into his coat pocket, get out a box and get down on one knee as well.  
The entire 2016 Cubs roster was at the wedding and were thrilled that they didn't have to wait another ten years to all see each other.  The Cubs' current roster had come as well, as had several players from teams the Cubs had played in 2016.  
Once the applause died down, Kris and Anthony's brothers took the microphones to give their best men speeches, filled with childhood stories and the story of how Kris and Anthony had gotten back together.  (Some thanks was thrown in to their teammates for orchestrating the reunion.)  It was hard for the couple to focus on the speeches though.  They kept their eyes on each other, each finding it hard to not make out with his new husband.  They'd promised the girls they'd keep the making out to a minimum.  (That was one of the disadvantages to having twin sixteen-year-olds: they got embarrassed easily.)  
At the end of the best men speeches, Nick and Johnny announced that there was going to be another speech before the groom speeches: the daughters of the grooms.  "So, what our uncles didn't tell you in their speech, maybe because they thought you guys would want us to tell you, is that when Amanda and I first met at camp, we weren't exactly like sisters," Chloe began.  "On the first night of camp, we played truth or dare in our cabin, and Amanda dared me to jump in the lake, and I dared her to go stand outside naked.  Then the next day, she beat me in the swimming races at the pool and that annoyed me."  
The crowd laughed as Anthony and Kris got horrified looks on their faces.  Crap, had the girls not told their fathers that story?  
"Anyway, I'm so glad that we were able to get over our initial bickering," Amanda continued.  "I'm so thankful to have the sister I spent my whole life wishing for that I didn't know I had and that we can now live with the most amazing dads ever."  
"Yes," Chloe said.  "And I'm sorry to brag, but how we figured it out was a few weeks before we met at camp, I was snooping in our dad's office and I found a video on his computer of me learning to crawl.  I wondered who the other baby was in the video with me and my daddy and he told me it was my cousin Amanda.  Then I saw this girl at camp and I was like, 'Could this be my 'cousin' Amanda?'"  
"So we trained ourselves to be each other, switched places, got rid of our dad's boyfriend and the rest is history," Amanda said.  "And I'm so happy to see our dads finally getting married again.  These past two years have been nothing short of amazing and this has been the best day ever."  
"Amanda and I were talking when we made plans for what to say and we both had a feeling that our dads would find their way back to each other, but we never knew it would be like this," Chloe said.  "We knew from that initial reunion in Chicago that they still loved each other, and it's more than clear that they love each other more than we can say.  We can only hope that one day, we can find men to marry who love us as much as you two love each other."  
"Yeah, sorry," Anthony interrupted.  "You two aren't getting married.  Ever."  
"Ever," Kris repeated.  
The girls rolled their eyes.  "Anyway, we love you both and we're so happy that you two could find your way back to each other," Amanda said before the girls raised their glasses with the rest of the crowd following suit.  The girls took their seats at the head table and hugged their dads before Anthony took the microphone.  
"Seventeen years ago, Kris and I went to a chapel in Vegas and got married," Anthony began.  He'd tried to write a speech, but no matter what he wrote down, nothing sounded right.  He hoped that the right words would come to him today.  He looked over at his husband and smiled before taking a deep breath.  "We were in over our heads.  It was just more than either of us could handle and I don't think we were ready or mature enough to get married.  Then everything fell apart.  Amanda, I want to apologize to you, because I tried for the first 14 years of your life, but what we were doing just wasn't living.  We were getting by, but something was missing.  We were half a family.  Every day I was missing your other father and your sister and I hated myself for doing that to you."  
He looked over at Kris, who was getting teary and had his arms around the girls.  Now Anthony felt tears coming to his eyes.  "But we got over the post-retirement bump and we grew up.  We decided to take it slow when we got back together, but I think we knew this day would come.  And it's finally here, babe.  We're finally having that wedding we never got to have.  And I know it's going to be different this time.  How do I know this?  Because over the past two years, everything's been working out the way we hoped it would the first time.  Yes, there are arguments.  We don't always pick up our clothes or wash the dishes.  But we've had so many great memories.  We saw our daughters off to their first days of high school, we've gone to their games and their high school concerts, we've taken the vacations we didn't get to take, we've had date nights, and just a few weeks ago, we helped lead an incredible group of guys to the title we worked so hard to get.  And it's not just the extraordinary stuff.  I cherish the nights we spend on the couch together just talking or watching a movie.  I know every day that I'm so loved and I hope I can give that to you as well.  I can't promise you that things will be perfect like we hoped they would the first time around.  But what I can promise you is that I'm always going to be your rock and your biggest supporter and that I'll always be there for you and never stop loving you.  I love you and I'm so happy that you're my husband and that you and I are raising our beautiful, smart, strong, kind daughters together." He looked into his husband's eyes. "I love you."  
How was Kris supposed to follow that? He hadn't written a speech. All his attempts had flopped. He got out of his chair and walked over to Anthony, kissing his husband deeply. Anthony deepened the kiss as the wedding guests began clinking their spoons against their glasses.  
"Can you guys please stop?" Chloe pleaded. "All our friends are here and none of their parents ever make out in front of us. We're happy that you love each other, but..."  
"Sorry, we're your dads, it's our job to embarrass you," Kris said.  
"But you have to give your speech," Amanda pointed out. "So there's a reason to stop."  
"I guess you're right," Kris sighed as Anthony went to sit with the girls. He looked over at his husband, trying to think of what to say. "Oh, Anthony, where do I begin? I remember the first day we met. You were the first one to say hi to me in the clubhouse and I knew there was something special. Then you bought me a beer after my first game - only to find out I didn't drink. I remember how embarrassed you were after I told you that and how you offered to buy me a pop instead. Of course, I can't skip mentioning that final out. I knew when I threw you that ball that you'd catch it, and while I was proud of everyone, I was especially proud of you. After that game, we officially got together, and we had some great moments. There were some public ones, like how you ran on to the field to make sure I was okay after I was hit in the head by a pitch, and some private ones, like how we decided to get married in that chapel after we retired. Then everything fell apart." The first marriage would have to be brought up again. Seventeen years ago, they'd made promises to each other that they didn't keep. But this time, the promises would be kept.  
"I don't know about you, but I can stand here today and say I'm confident we won't make the mistakes we made last time again. I hope that over the past two years, I've made up for giving up all those years ago. I still feel horrible for leaving that night and for depriving our daughters of the childhood they deserved. But over the past two years, everything has been so amazing. Of course, it hasn't been perfect, but it's been the next best thing. We've created so many memories as a family. You've made me so, so happy. I love getting to come home from work and just talk and cuddle and be with you. You know me so well and you've always been there whenever I needed you. You were always there for me when we were teammates and you're always there for me now. You make me so happy and I hope I make you happy. You know me better than anyone and I hope I can be that person for you. You make me feel so, so loved and I will do everything I can every day from this day forward to make sure you know how loved you are. You are the most incredible person I've ever met and I love you so much. You and the girls are my life and I know no matter what life throws at us, everything will work out because we're together. We're finally married again. I held out hope for fourteen years that this would happen and I'm so glad I never gave up hope. I love you. And one more thing - thanks so much to our friends from the Cubs for telling us to send the girls to the same camp!"  
The wedding guests began clinking their spoons against their glasses at the end of the speech. Anthony came over to embrace Kris before they took the floor for their first dance. After the first dance, they pulled the girls on to the floor to join them. Finally, after years of being separted by distance, the Bryant-Rizzo family was, in the eyes of the law, a family again - though they always had been by heart. The girls exchanged a look, feeling so thankful they'd figured everything out two years ago.


End file.
